Light At the End of the Tunnel
by oddfurball
Summary: After Moira's death, Felicity comforts Thea and makes a promise to herself, to be with Oliver and to be his light till the end. The story continues with Felicity becoming caught up in a war where she needs to save a Hero and his sister all the while not knowing that she might be the one who needs saving from Slade.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! So this is my first fanfiction and I got onto this damn writing boat because of my undying love for Arrow and may I say Olicity. *The ship to ship*. The story takes place after Arrow season 2 Episode 20 so be warned that it does contain spoilers. Please do review and let me know what you think. Forgive any grammatical errors also. I might make it a longer story depending upon how it's received. Thank you all!

**Light At The End of the Tunnel**

"_If I am your miracle, it is because you have first awakened the miracle in me."_

Felicity knew that she came to the funeral to make sure that Oliver was okay. Felicity had seen Oliver go through things that break down even the most resilient lot but having to watch your own mother die and blaming yourself for her death; that can break down even one without a soul. But Oliver had a soul; granted that it was a soul which was stained with blood and had seen touched the veil of darkness but it also had a light, one which felicity saw every time she looked up at the man who made her believe that heroes exist, even ones who are broken can be fixed.

It came as a no surprising fact to her that Oliver did not show up to his mother's funeral, she was sure that he was fighting his demons and the guilt of his mother's death was consuming him. She knew Oliver down to his last mask and she also knew that she needed to be with him; now more than ever. She needed to save him from drowning in his guilt and make him believe that his mother's death was not upon him. She would do that but before all this she needed to make Slade Wilson pay for coming after the people who mattered in her life. And that's the promise Felicity made to herself as she laid down flowers on Moira's casket. She will fight; she will be strong for Oliver because she was "_his girl."_

Thea looked at the people who came to the reception, all dressed in black shedding tears in her vicinity and offering her comfort but Thea did not listen to any of them. Her tears were dried and she was sure that she did not have any left to shed. There was a hole in her heart which she knew would never be repaired so she stayed angry to ease the hurt. She was angry at her brother who lied to her, who let in a psychopath in their lives and take away her everything, a brother who did not even make it to his mother's funeral. She was angry at her mother for making a decision to let them live but over everything she was angry at the fact that she could not even tell her mother that she loved her no matter how may lies she spun, no matter how many years she hid behind them, the truth remained that she loved her mother but her mother died thinking that her daughter hated her. Thea did not need comfort; she did not need any condolences. All she needed was a chance to tell her mother that she loves her, always have and always will.

Felicity saw Laurel talk to Thea and embrace her. She was sure that the young Queen was so broken that she picked up all the pieces and put on a mask of indifference while being cut by all the broken pieces. And that's why without knowing what she will say, Felicity ended up before the young Queen.

"Thea. Hey, I am Felicity Smoak. Oliver's executive assistant, actually ex-executive assistant now. You might not remember me but I visited Walter at the hospital. How can you remember? That was a long time ago but it's great to see that you have grown up since then. Did you grow taller or are those the shoes? Love the shoes by the way but that doesn't goes to say that you haven't grown because you have become so pretty. Okay, I am going to stop talking in 3, 2, and 1. You don't want to listen me babble so I will just say this. I know that this is the hardest thing you have ever had to do in your life and I can't even begin to imagine.."

"No, Felicity, you can't imagine so if you are here to give me a lecture about how I should forget everything and carry on with my life, then get in line because I am sure that everyone over here has already prepared that speech. So if you will excuse me, I have a club to run and a brother to find."

And with that Thea stepped aside the petite blonde all the while thinking to that she may have been harsh on her but she knew what the rest of the speech contained and she had no patience to listen to it again; besides her mother just died so she sure as hell did not have to listen. But she was stopped by Felicity's hand on her wrist. Thea whirled around and looked into her face shocked by the intensity in her eyes. The girl who she just dismissed had tears welling in her eyes leaving Thea's mouth slightly ajar.

"Thea, I know you are angry at everyone but more than anyone else you are angry at yourself. I don't remember my dad but I do remember that I was so angry at myself after he left all the while thinking to myself that maybe it was my fault. That anger turned to hatred, hatred to grief and grief to hopelessness to the point of no return. But don't let your anger turn to hatred Thea because before you know it, you will be hurting yourself and the people whom you love. Your mother died saving her children and given a choice again she would do the same. Don't hold this over your head or your brother's."

Thea's listened to her and held back a sob. When she looked at felicity, she saw her mother. Thea could not explain it but looking at Felicity's face she saw her mother smiling back at her, giving the smile that she usually reserved for Ollie and her. And that's when Thea's tears flowed and she engulfed her in her arms.

Felicity was caught off-guard but she embraced the young girl in her arms wrapping her arms around her back and running smooth circles on her back. What she didn't expect was what Thea whispered into her ear.

"I am so sorry, Mom. I am so so sorry. I love you, more than you can ever imagine. And I forgive you."

Felicity heard this and she held on. She told the young girl that she will always be there with her and she loved her too. Felicity wasn't sure what made her say that but this she knew. She knew that no 18 year old should ever go through what Thea had been and if the least she could do was hold on to her while she cried for her mother, Felicity would gladly do that each time Oliver's heart asked her to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Salvation in a Feisty Blonde**

Slade Wilson looked at his surroundings. The running walls, the smell of waste and not to mention the rats. Those were taking a toll on him but if he wanted his plan to succeed he had to bear with it.

"If you are going to change your base of operations to this sewer permanently, I might have to rethink my role in this team."

"Isabel, humans are predictable. They never imagine that some can thrive in darkness and flourish. Is it done? Is Thea alone?"

"I gave her the papers for Verdant's closure and asked her to move out in a couple of days. She looked heartbroken. And Oliver did not come to his mother's funeral so Thea might be more broken than ever."

"Good. We need her broken to fulfil my promise to Oliver. I left her to cry over her mother, to see the pain I saw when Shado died and when I cradled her in my arms. Thea needs the pain and the hatred so that she can channel that against her brother. What about the blonde?"

"I saw her at the funeral; she was waiting for Oliver. Though down the lane, I would love to attend her funerals."

"Fool, I told you no one touches her."

"Felicity, Felicity, Felicity. Everyone is smitten by her including you. What is so special about her, Slade? Tell me!"

"Don't raise your voice at me, woman. Felicity is mine; I have some unfinished business with her. Now come, I have a present for you."

Slade put on the red and black mask on Isabel and looked at his Ravager. He knew then that she was going to shed blood, blood which will drown Oliver and the people he loved. Slade walked up to his bag and took out a photo. A young girl with beautiful brown curls and eyes ever so blue stared back at him. He looked up from the picture and saw his Shado staring back at him; looking ever so alive and whispering to him, telling him what she desired and that's when he knew he had another promise to keep before the streets of Starling City ran blood and fire.

* * *

Felicity finally found him. Sure, it took Digg and her a visit to Argus and a stare down with Amanda Waller and some touching of really cool next generation processors; let's not forget that but they did find him. Felicity knew that the man sitting with his back to the pillar was changed; he was more broken than ever but Felicity was more determined than ever to pick up those broken pieces, no matter how much it hurt and bring them back together.

"How did you guys find me?"

"We had some help. Oliver, what is this place?"

"I come here when I need to be alone. It's over, Digg. It's done. I watched my mother die in front of me. And I won't let Slade hurt the people I love anymore. I will surrender."

"No, it's not over. I don't believe that. Oliver, please don't go."

And with that Felicity took Oliver's hand in hers and looked up into the eyes of the man she loved. It was true she loved him as a partner, as a friend and she loved him because of the man he was. She knew Oliver loved her too, not the kind of love that could make the world stop or oceans flare; Oliver loved her for what she was, his friend and partner. Felicity was content being his partner and that's why she took his calloused hand in hers not noticing how their hands moulded together like they belonged with each other.

"You don't just give up Oliver. If I gave up I would have been a cocktail waitress like my mother in Las Vegas, never would have attended college and moved 10,000 miles to Starling City to meet a guy in a Hood who could tell me that I was more than just an IT girl."

Oliver was taken aback. How could his girl ease his pain just by looking into his eyes? He could see the pain, the worry and the pleas in her eyes, all for him. All for the man who had no light left in him to harness. But he knew that Felicity would never believe that. She will hold onto him, she won't let him go and she will give up every inch of her radiance if it meant getting Oliver back from the darkness he could not seem to break free of. And that's why Oliver had to surrender. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he needed to protect her light from Slade. From anyone who might try to hurt her that's why he gave her the lamest excuse he could.

"Felicity, someone once told me that the essence of heroism is to die so that others can live. Slade wanted to take away everything from me and he has. All that's left for me now is to die."

And with that Oliver took in every detail of Felicity's face, her sunshine hair, her lovely eyes and her tempting lips. He wanted to have her picture in his mind before he died, to never forget the woman who was his salvation. And that's when he let her hands go.

Felicity looked at Oliver's retreating back but she knew that Oliver wanted to live. She saw it in his eyes. This was the man who Oliver had become and even now when he saw no hope, Felicity knew it in her heart that Oliver wanted to live, to live with guilt, to live with pain but live, not just breathe and that's how Felicity ended up wrapping her arms around Oliver's back and stopping him in his tracks.

Oliver looked at the hands wrapping around his chest from the back and felt his heart skip a beat. But what Felicity whispered to him next left him numb.

"I know, Oliver, that right now everything is dark. But just hold on, will you? You don't have to give yourself up to protect the ones you love. We can do this together. We will find Slade and make him pay. But we will do together, the three of us the way it has always been."

Oliver felt it, felt her, her warmth and her love and it left him speechless. He knew that if he turned around and looked at her, he would never leave. That's why he untangled Felicity's arms from his chest and without glancing back, he walked away.

Felicity understood him leaving but she would never let him give up on himself. She would never allow that because she was not just an IT girl. She was a part of Team Arrow and heroes always find a way, so do their sidekicks. The plan to stop Oliver was already forming in her head when her phone buzzed. The picture of Thea stared back at her. The girl whom she had comforted and the one who needed her.

"Hey, Thea! What a surprise!"

"Felicity, Are you busy? It's just that I didn't know who to call."

Felicity felt rather than heard the panic in Thea's voice.

"Thea, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Felicity, I know that we met yesterday and this might be even more startling but can you come to Verdant? Isabel came by and gave me a closure notice for the club. I don't know why I called you but can you come?"

"I am coming, Thea. Just stay there. I will be there in 20."

"And Felicity, thank you."

Felicity cut the call and smiled. Things might be getting bad, but she was becoming hope for one particular Queen. And that's how Felicity found herself in Verdant 20 minutes later after telling Digg her plan to stop Oliver's noble idiocy.

* * *

So here you have it Folks! The second chapter. Thanks for all the reads and reviews and I know that all of you are going to try to figure out what Slade has up his sleeve so please do try and give some ideas too!


	3. Chapter 3

**Sometimes we can find home in the most unlikely way**

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with me?"

"No, Walter. I think that moving out of Starling City will be good for me. Thanks for the offer though. It is much appreciated." And with that Thea placed a peck on the older man's cheeks. She would miss him.

"Just remember, my offer is always open."

"What offer?"

"Oliver. It's good to see you. Your sister is planning to move out of Starling City. Why don't you tell your opinion on this?"

"Walter, can I speak to my sister alone?"

"Sure. Thea, give me a call if you have any problems."

"I will, Walter."

"Thanks for not showing up at your own mother's funeral and reception, big brother."

"I am sorry, Thea."

Oliver looked into his sister's eyes to convey to her how sorry he was for everything.

"I know that I haven't been a great brother, a friend or whatever it is that you wanted me to be but I have always loved you, Speedy. And I will always love you. So when you find it in yourself to forgive me, come back to me but till then be safe, Speedy."

Oliver wrapped Thea in her arms and to his surprise his sister embraced him back. And that's how Oliver knew that his sister forgave him, maybe not completely but she was giving him a chance to redeem himself. It was just a little bit too late because Oliver Queen was beyond redemption. He had chosen his fate and that was to lie still in the hands of Death.

"Thea, are you sure you want this? Because God; is this depressing! Who would even paint such a dreadful painting? It's not enough that he/she showed death but to show it in such a harsh way. That's just so heart-breaking. This painting won't let you sleep so you are not taking this, no way. Oh, Oliver. You are here?"

"Felicity, what are you doing here?"

"Oliver, she came to help me in moving. I didn't know who else to call."

"I didn't know that you two were this close."

"Ah, Felicity just stumbled into my life I guess. I met her at mom's funeral and we sort of connected. Anyways, Felicity, don't worry I won't take that painting. I never liked it anyway."

Thea then looked up at her brother and gave him a reassuring smile. She knew that Oliver was having a hard time too and as some blonde had told her, being angry at her own brother was too exhausting so Thea would try. She would try to forgive her brother and make amends. Oliver was the only family she had left and she loved him making it reason enough for her to forgive him.

"Oliver, I would call you once I am settled somewhere. Don't worry about me. Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will Speedy." Oliver placed a peck on her forehead and turned to leave. He reached the entrance to the foyer when he turned to Felicity. He had already engraved her in his heart but this was goodbye but to his surprise the blonde kept on looking at Thea and after a few seconds a smile played on her face.

"Thea, I was wondering. Do you want to live with me? I mean, you want to get out of Starling City, which I totally understand, by the way. But if you don't hate this City to your bones, then you can try living with me. Sure, I don't have a mansion. I mean my apartment must be as large as your living room but I do have a big bed and extra wardrobe space. Don't ask how though because sometimes I feel I have a hell lot of clothes. They can take an entire exhausting day for me to arrange and still I end up searching my closet for clothes which is weird. Anyways, as I was saying if you can bear listening to me babble on a daily basis then come and stay with me."

Wow. Felicity Smoak had a knack for babbling idiotic things and I guess she just topped the chart. Why would Thea Queen want to stay with me? Talk about making a fool out of herself. But the scorns that she imagined in her head never came. Instead her hands were full of a teenager embracing her too tight making her wince.

"Thea, I can't breathe."

"Oh sorry Felicity, didn't realize I was hugging you too tight but yes; I would love to stay with you."

Oliver stared at his sister and Felicity like he had just choked on food and it was stuck in his throat. His sister said yes. That was new but he needed her to leave Starling City. That would be safer.

"Felicity, can I talk for a minute? Alone?"

"Okay." And he led her to the foyer.

"What were you thinking asking Thea to move in with you? You know she is in danger as long as she is here."

"And she is not in danger when she leaves this city? Please Oliver, Thea has gone through too much and right now, she needs people who love her. She needs to see that everything is not in despair and she needs hope. And since you have given up on everything even resembling hope, I won't let Thea be alone with her demons. I will protect her."

Oliver had seen many girls, had relationships with at least a dozen, fell in love with Laurel and then thought he fell in love with Sarah but none of them could make his heart flip the way his blonde did. And right now looking into her eyes all he felt was pride. Even he could not say with conviction that he could protect Thea, but he knew that she would protect his sister even if she died doing it. That's who his Felicity was. Oliver would have kissed her then and there being tempted by her brightly coloured lips but he restrained himself and took her hand in his.

"Felicity, don't do this. I need the people I care about to be safe. Who will protect you?"

"That's the thing, Oliver Queen. I may get hurt, I may bleed and I might die maybe at the hands of a psychopath or maybe by a freak accident but at least I won't have any regrets because I spent my life with the people I loved."

And with that she walked away leaving Oliver not so determined about his plan to turn himself in but he called Isabel anyways all the while knowing that his sister was turning out to be lucky because, no matter what it takes Felicity would protect her.

Felicity knew how to make plans and execute them but this plan of hers was a bad one. On a scale of one to ten, this was probably a minus. But she went ahead with it anyways. After leaving Thea at her apartment and fixing her a nice sandwich as lunch, she turned on the tracker that she had sneaked into Oliver's jacket in the Queen mansion and called Digg. She knew Oliver was going to switch off his phone leaving them with no way to track him so she sneaked in the tracker. Now he appeared as a bright red dot at the Starling City harbor. Felicity called Digg and knocked out Oliver with a tranquilizer, a strong one mind you, and now they were dragging a very passed out and heavy Oliver Queen down the stairs of the lair. They sat him down in the lair and Felicity sat in her chair in front of her computers panting when Digg approached her.

"So what's next?"

"Now we call in a Lance aka the great Laurel Lance."

"Felicity, are you crazy? When you told me you had a plan, did you think it through because this doesn't sound like a great plan to me!"

"Digg, Laurel knows Oliver is the Arrow so one day or another she will be in here."

"What? How? Wait, how do you know this?"

Felicity turned towards her computers and brought up a CCTV footage of Slade. "I was just making sure Laurel was on our radar for protection when I caught Slade a few buildings off her apartment. Since she was fine physically so I figured the only damage Slade could do is by telling Laurel that Oliver is the Arrow."

"Lets' say that happened but we still don't need her here, Felicity."

"Actually Digg, I think we do. I was constantly making sure that Laurel is not in any harm especially after Moira's death and something very interesting cropped up. Laurel looked into the personal files of Blood and she discovered something. Blood wrote a condolence letter to Moira's support group for Mayor but the date on the letter is one day before Moira died. So that can only mean one thing.."

"That Blood is working with Slade."

"And that Laurel was right all along. Blood is shady."

"But Felicity, I still don't get the whole point of bringing Laurel in on this."

"I know we don't. Believe me, I have played this scenario a hundred times in my head but I get only one answer. Maybe Laurel can snap Oliver out of his whole death wish crap and having her here will also mean that we as in Oliver will have one less person's safety to worry about."

"Felicity, in case you haven't noticed Oliver has already snapped out of his suicidal wish and you and me both know that he went to the harbour not to surrender. I could see that in his eyes and if you ask me who brought him back, I think I have a pretty clear answer. As for Laurel, we will bring her here but just so that she can tell Oliver that Blood is dirty. No more because if she suddenly wants to be a part of this team I can't let that happen. It started with us and it will end with us. And Felicity, no matter how bloody this fight gets promise me that you will survive and live. You will always be as beautiful as you are now. Promise me, kiddo."

"I promise, Digg." Felicity's eyes were wet and her throat was clogged when Digg placed a peck on her forehead and sauntered off to call Laurel.

Felicity did not register much after that. Laurel came, Oliver got up from his induced sleep, and they talked; Laurel hugged Oliver but Felicity didn't have time to dwell on these things. So she left the lair and came home for a quick change. Thea was sleeping so Felicity tried being as quiet as possible but Thea woke up.

"Hey, Thea. Go back to sleep. I was just grabbing myself a change of clothes."

"Felicity, where are you going? It's already 7."

"Oh, I am sure you would have noticed I don't have a job at the moment so I am just pitching in as a part time worker in a coffee shop unit I find something more stable. Have you had dinner yet?"

"No. I thought I will eat with Sin. She is leaving for Central City today to meet her friend so I thought I will leave her to the station."

"Oh; what time does her train leave?"

"Around 9."

"Okay, make sure you are back home by 10. I will be a bit late so give me a call when you are home okay. A spare key to the apartment is next to the refrigerator."

"Okay, I will and Felicity?"

"Yes, Thea."

"Come back soon."

"As soon as I am done, I will be here. Don't worry. "And with that Felicity left all the while not accepting that the knot forming in her chest was becoming painful.

Oliver was more than shocked to see Laurel in the lair and when Laurel gave him the whole speech about how she knew him to his bones, Oliver felt numb. This was the woman who had launched a man hunt for him believing that he was the one who killed Tommy and suddenly she knew him. Oliver seriously needed to have a word with Felicity about this. He had gone to the harbor not to surrender but to tell Slade that he will be ready for a fight because he could not get what Felicity had said out of his mind. His sister needed him so did his partners. He will protect them till his last breath without being a coward. He will fight and win. He had to and he will. But what snapped Oliver's attention was Blood. And that's how Oliver found himself facing the new Mayor of his city in a restaurant.

"Oliver Queen. We missed you at your mother's funeral. My deep condolences over your mother's death. She was an amazing woman."

"She was up until the day Slade Wilson killed her so that you can be the Mayor."

"Oliver, I don't know what you are.."

"Cut the crap, Blood. I know you work for Slade."

"How?"

"Because I am the Arrow."

Oliver didn't see shock on Blood's face knowing he was the Arrow. He just saw confirmation.

"You knew I was the Arrow, didn't you?"

"I have had my suspicions especially seeing the way Slade is so hell bent on destroying you."

"Why are you doing this, Blood?"

"Oliver, when you want a city which you have always dreamed of there is a need to ravage it and tear it down before bringing in new order to it. I am sure you know that."

"Slade is just using you, Blood. He is going to leave you to die when all this ends."

"He promised me I will be the Mayor of Starling and he delivered no matter the means. What are you going to do Oliver? Stab in in a restaurant full of people?"

"I will kill you, I promise."

"You can try Oliver. You and your bodyguard and that little blonde but you won't succeed. Slade is too strong and too determined to fulfill his promises. So no matter how much you and your team tries all that will be heard will be your screams and screams of the people you love. So you had better keep your team mates at arm's length especially that blonde. And tell her that sunshine suits her better than earth."

And with that Blood left leaving Oliver reeling with his thoughts. Oliver didn't know what Blood's last line meant but he had an idea and all the while riding back to the lair he wished that he was wrong.

Oliver entered the lair and walked over to Felicity ignoring Laurel's questioning eyes and led her aside.

"Oliver, what's wrong? What did Blood say?"

"Felicity, didn't you mention that you dye your hair? What is the natural color of your hair?"

"Oliver, what's happening? How is the color of my hair important right now?"

"Felicity, please. Just humor me, okay? What's your natural color?"

"Mouldy brown you know like the earth."

And Oliver was sure that he stopped breathing. _"There is one more person who has to die before all this can end."_

Slade's words rang in his ear and when he looked at Felicity all he saw was her fragile form lying on the ground bleeding due to a sword being driven through her heart.

* * *

That's the next chapter. Now things are really heating up. I haven't really got much reviews so I don't know whether I should be worried that maybe the story is not that good but I couldn't stop myself from continuing the story! Thanks to all of those who are reading this and Thanks to the ones who gave a review. Let's hope Oliver figures out a way to save 'his girl'.


	4. Chapter 4

**I Will Always Come For You, I Promise**

"Oliver, are you okay? Oliver, hey snap out of it."

Oliver finally let go of the breath he had been holding. Slade's words cut through him like a dagger and he knew it his gut that the next casualty in this war against Slade was going to be his partner. But seeing her in front of him became his anchor that's why without even thinking clearly he brought Felicity closer and embraced her breathing all of her in. Felicity stilled beneath him and when he made no effort to let her go, she slowly brought her hands around his neck and started running her fingers in his hair making soothing circles. The act was intimate and Oliver never wanted to let her go. He could feel Felicity's heart rate increase and brought her even more closer to him till she was flush against him. They stayed like that, holding each other, for minutes or hours Oliver did not know. He could feel Laurel's questioning glace on him but he did not care. Right then and there, Felicity was the only one who existed for him. She was his anchor and his saviour so if Slade was going to come for her, Oliver will stand in the way and protect her and end this once and for all. And with that fire burning in him, Oliver let her out of his embrace.

"Oliver, will you tell me what all this is about? What was this for?"

"Felicity, I need you to promise me something. Can you do that?"

And on cue Laurel walked up to Oliver.

"Ollie, what's going on?"

"Laurel, I need you to stay there. I have something important to tell my partner."

Oliver looked into Laurel's eyes with conviction when he said the word partner and he knew that a part of her was hurt by his words but this was a Oliver who wanted to fight and one who wanted to believe in hope. He was broken but someone whom he never expected had creeped into his walls and picked up his broken pieces and joined them. She brought him back from damnation and from his burned ashes a new Oliver Queen was rising, one who would not make the same mistakes and have the same blind spots. Oliver will always care for Laurel but the fire in his heart burned for only one woman and he will not let it be extinguished. He will take his time and light the same fire in her heart too slowly and steadily.

And with that Oliver brought his full attention to Felicity noticing that her mouth was slightly ajar at the dismissal Oliver just gave Laurel. Oliver brought his hands to her face and he could not help but notice that she turned slightly into his touch.

"Felicity, promise me."

"I promise, Oliver."

"Good. Do you have the blueprints of the underground tunnels?"

"Yes. The blueprints are a bit older than I thought but we can still work with it. The access points and the weak points of the structures will remain the same. As long as we blow out the base, the rest will cave in."

"Felicity, I need you to listen to me carefully. As soon as you tell Digg where to place the charges you need to take the van, get Thea and get to ARGUS, okay?"

"What, Oliver! No I am not leaving Digg and you. You guys might need me. I can't just leave. I don't know what you are thinking Queen but I am in this fight, from start to finish. And that's the end of this conversation."

And with that Felicity started to leave but was stopped by Oliver who took her hand in his. She whirled around and was taken aback by the emotions playing in his eyes. Concern was plaguing his face and all Felicity wanted to do was embrace him again and ease his pain.

"Felicity, I did not go to the harbor to surrender. I went there to tell Slade that I would stop playing defense and I will fight till he was the one lying on the ground covered in his blood. I did that because a blonde that I know showed me that people whom I care about might be hurt and might be in pain but they would always love me. I might loose some of them, I might think that their deaths is on me but I should never stop protecting the ones who still love me. I should never stop hoping for a better tomorrow. I got that conviction from the lengths you were ready to go to protect my sister. So let me protect you, Felicity. If it was up to me, I would have stopped you from getting involved in the this fight but I won't because this war included all three of us and it's time we got back to that. But you, of all people, can't be a casualty in this because you promised to protect my sister. Keep that promise. So we will stop Slade while keeping your promise, okay?"

Felicity was shedding tears, this she hadn't realized until Oliver gently wiped them away from her cheek. That's why she found herself whispering an okay.

"Oliver, you will come back to me, right? And to Thea?"

"Where else would I go? There is no place like home."

Home. That word still rang in Felicity's ears as she took her tablet, the communication devices and got ready for the bloodshed which was about to come. Oliver had just called her home, granted that a major part of it meant Thea, but some part of it also meant her. She could see it in his eyes. Home, a place where Oliver could be just Oliver. No masks, no lies and no deceit. When did she become that important in his life? Yup, she definitely needed a brain filter too. Come on, Felicity. Snap out of this and concentrate on saving lives first, okay?

"Ollie, I am coming too. Felicity can give me a comm. I won't get in your way, I promise."

Laurel. Felicity totally forgot about her. Perfect Laurel, always the one to be in Oliver's heart. And now in the cave trying to be a part of Team Arrow. Wait, when did she start remembering my name?

"You are not coming, Laurel. I need you to be safe."

"But not them?"

"Laurel, they are my partners and if this is the last fight that I will ever be in, I would fight with them. This is what I am, what Arrow is and what Arrow will be. All of this started with the three of us and it's time we got back to that."

Felicity knew the meaning of the word 'pride' but to experience it so vividly was different all together. She guessed it was the same for Digg because she could not control her chuckle over what he whispered next.

"I guess Oliver Queen just earned himself a big fat raise in the 'People-whom-I-respect-list'."

"Digg, you keep a list? Who is number one; by the way?"

"I think so you already know the answer to that, kiddo."

And with that the members of Team Arrow; yes, she was still calling them that; walked up the steps of the lair entrusting their hopes and their lives with each other.

To say that heroes caught a break was an understatement. In the world of heroes, catching breaks is usually not possible and things going right and according to plan were never possible. As soon as Digg put up the charges on the weak pillars, Mirakuru induced Isabel bitch Rochev showed up and currently Felicity was stuck in a van listening to grunts as punches landed on Digg and arrows landed in Slade's super soldiers courtesy of our friendly neighborhood Arrow. Felicity could hear Oliver trying his hardest to protect Laurel; did she mention that Laurel showed up to help Oliver?;a great decision on her part and Digg keeping Isabel at bay. That's why she did what she did next. She really was coming up with lame ass plans.

"Oliver, get Laurel out of there. I am reprogramming the charges and timing them. You have 15 to drag yourself out of there before it caves in. Digg, you can't take any more hits. Get Isabel to the ground next to pillar 12, it's the weakest. And when I say go, you run."

"On it; kiddo. I am approaching pillar 12. I am ready when you are!"

"Run Digg; now."

And with that Digg ran and was thrown a few feet away because of the explosion. When he turned back, Isabel was falling in to her death with concrete and earth smothering her.

"Digg, are you okay?"

"Yes, Felicity, I am fine; just a few cuts but I am pretty sure that I heard Isabel call you a bitch before she, you know, got herself killed, again!"

"Bitch with Wi-fi."

Digg was proud; he always had been of his partner. But today was something else.

"How is Oliver? Oliver, are you okay?"

"I am fine, Digg. Laurel is with me. Felicity, how long do I have until the charges blow?"

"Around 10 minutes. You have to hurry Oliver!"

"Felicity, we will get ourselves out. Get out of here. Remember what you promised me!"

"Oliver, I will. Let me just see you all get out. I will go."

"Felicity, go now." And with that all Felicity heard was arrows being dislodged from the bow. She will go but after she knows Oliver is safe. She just had to make sure he was safe. Felicity's phone buzzed. It was Thea.

"Thea, this is a really bad time! I will get home and talk."

"Felicity…"

"Thea, what's wrong? Why does your voice sound like that?"

"Felicity, I am at the station with Sin and this man with a mask walks in. He is so strong."

And Felicity was sure she did not let out the breath she had been holding in. Come on, Felicity, snap out of it! Make a plan, you can't panic.

"Thea, honey, are you okay?"

"Yeah; I am fine so is Sin but I am scared."

"Okay, I am coming to get you, you hear that? I need you to stay calm."

And with that Felicity slammed on the gas and started speeding through the roads. She could not believe her eyes. People were running scared and there were men in masks on the street. So it begins but she had bigger problems. One problem at a time, Smoak. She needed a plan.

"Thea, are you with me? Talk to me."

"Ya I am here. Felicity, it's too dangerous. Don't think about coming here. These men are too strong and they gunned down the policemen."

"I know; Thea. Just hang in there. I need you to concentrate now and listen to me. Where are you hiding?

"It's behind a pillar. I can see the ticket booths from here."

"Okay, is it a good hiding place? Can anyone see you from there?"

"No, I don't think so. This seems like a good place to hide."

"Okay, that's great. Now, can you tell me how many of the masked men are there?"

"I can see 2. There are more walking in. It must be around 6 now."

"Thea, I need you to stay where you are. I will get help. I am going to cut the call now but I will be there soon. Just stay there. Keep Sin safe. It's your responsibility. You will be my little hero, won't you?"

"I will."

"I will be there no matter what, I promise."

"Felicity, I love you. Just know that, okay?"

"I love you too, my hero."

Felicity put on the communication links again and heard Oliver's voice. He was safe, that's all she needed to know. She told Oliver that she was on route to get Thea minus the whole hostage situation and filled in Oliver on the soldiers ravaging the streets. She just hoped that they will figure something out and that a miracle will happen. Come on, Cisco, a cure to this madness would be really appreciated right now. But the call did not make itself known so Felicity made another call. She needed him right now, no matter the consequences.

"Hello, Miss Smoak. This is a surprise. I didn't think I will be hearing from you so soon."

"Where are you?"

"In Starling City of course; enjoying the view. The city is on fire. There is no saving this City and I think even your Hero can't save it now."

"Cut the crap. I need your help. Meet me at Starling Central Station, come prepared."

"And why is that you think I am obliged to help you, Fe-li-ci-ty?"

"I saved you. I helped you disappear, don't forget that. Your daughter needs you so let her be the one person in your life you don't disappoint, Merlyn."

"I will be there."

And with that she cut the call. Yup, day of making bad decisions but she promised Thea that she will come for her and if there is one thing Smoak knew how to do, it was to keep her promises!

* * *

Okay, so I know some of you are worried about Felicity and I think that things are not looking so good for her. And let me talk about the biggest cat in the bag, Merlyn. How did Felicity know he was alive? I have only one answer for this. Felicity is one of the strongest character on television not just because of her bold color choices but also because she is smart and not just the book smart, so you really think that she won't know Merlyn is alive? And as for the debt Merlyn ows her, we will come to that later. Secondly, why did she lie to Oliver about Merlyn? That's very interesting because Felicity is the sort of person who can never hide anything. But can you think from her perspective that if Felicity came to know Merlyn is alive after revealing that Thea is her daughter to Oliver and feeling insecure about him, could she have immediately told Oliver that Merlyn is alive? No matter, I am sure she has a good reason. One more thing, I know some of you might be wondering that why does Thea say I love you to Felicity so soon. I think that Thea has been through so much that she never thought that she could find someone to love her again especially after Moira and Roy. So if she knows she is in danger and might not make it, she wants Felicity to know that she did look up to her and loved her. Just in case, things go bad.

Thanks for the wonderful reviews and the reads! One more thing, I won't update another chapter for at least two more days so please bear with me! But I promise, I will come back with a bang.


	5. Chapter 5

**A Love beyond Barriers**

Felicity waited with awaited breath in the van parked a block away from the station. She had the news on a constant re-run on her tablet and things weren't looking good. The police precinct had also been taken by Slade's army and when Felicity called Detective Lance to make sure that he was okay, she could hear the painful groans in his voice. He definitely had a few broken bones. Some areas had complete blackouts and the list of casualties seem to be growing. Felicity was going to make him pay; she would make sure that Slade would wish that he was never born. She didn't know how but she was going to figure out a way right after she had Thea safely by her side. This side of the city had not been affected except the station but Felicity knew that things were going to turn bad pretty soon and that's how when Merlyn knocked on the window of the van, she literally jumped a few feet.

"Open the door, Blondie."

Felicity opened the door but she couldn't help but put as much distance as she could between them. Slade was a psychopath but so was Merlyn.

"So what are we looking at?"

"I hacked into the satellite images of the station and was able to pull up thermals. The building opposite can give us a good vantage point. There are two emergency exits which lead down to the basement and out through the back of the station but to go through the exit you will have to pass through the front of the station which is guarded by one of the soldiers. So I suggest you go through the top. The roof has an access panel which leads to the ventilation unit. The building is old so it should have one. According to Thea, there are six of those junkheads. I scouted through the thermal images. There seems to be six inside and one at the entrance…"

"And when you said that they can't be killed and have superhuman strength, how do you expect me to fight seven of them?"

"Aim for their throats. That will cause enough blood loss to slow them down or inject the viper venom. That usually slows them down."

"Did you speak to Thea? Is she okay?"

"She is fine. If we do this the right way, she will come back to me safely."

"I have to ask though. Where is Oliver in all of this? Because you do realize that I am a murderer, don't you?"

"You forgot to mention mass murderer. And Oliver is out there saving people by risking his life. The least I can do is save his sister and you might be a psychopath, Merlyn, but you and I both know that when it comes to their children no parent will give up. I lost a friend in the earthquake that day and you lost a son; so I am sure as hell not going to lose Thea who is your daughter. So you are either in or out because I will save her at no cost."

And that's how 15 minutes later Felicity found herself on the roof of the building opposite to the station with a laptop on her thigh and a tab in her hand. The air was chilly and was biting into her but she didn't care. She picked up her phone and dialled Thea.

"Hello, Thea. Are you okay?"

"Yes, we are fine."

"Thea, I need you to listen to me very carefully from now. Can you see the ticket booths?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now turn to your head to your right. Do you see a door? Does it say maintenance stairwell?"

"Yes but it appears to be locked. I can't see so clearly from here."

"It has an electronic keypad. Thea, now you need to be brave okay? Two minutes from now the lights of that station will blackout and that's when you need to walk five steps away from the pillar, turn right and keep on walking straight for another thirty steps. You will reach the door. After that the lights will be back on and the TVs in the station will start blaring. When they do, you open the door to the door to the stairwell, climb up one floor and turn into the corridor. You will find a machine room there. Get there and call me back? Did you get all of that?"

"Yes, I did. I think so."

"Good. Now take off your shoes and tell Sin to do it too and after I keep the phone count to 60. Don't be scared, it's all over. I am going to keep the phone now. Be safe. I am right outside waiting for you."

And with that Felicity cut the call. She would get her back; she knew it in his gut. Thea was a strong girl so was Sin. They would be okay.

"Merlyn, are you there?"

"I am in the ventilation unit though it's hard to breathe in here."

"Can you see her?"

"I can see her."

"Here it goes. And the lights go out in 3, 2, and 1."

Felicity could hear the panicked screams from the people inside the station but it didn't last long. The back-up generators were on in a minute, just enough time for Thea and Sin to make it to the door.

"They made it to the door, Blondie. Flare up the noise."

Felicity hacked into the broadcasting station and in less than forty seconds every TV in the station started playing the oath of Blood as Mayor in full volume; irony if you asked her. After a minute, they all died down. Now all she had to do was wait for Thea's call. Each second felt like a century and when her phone buzzed, Felicity could swear that she had the biggest smile ever on her face.

"Did you both make it?"

"Yes. Felicity, what's happening? What about the other people in there?"

"Thea, I need you to trust me and wait in that room. I will call you. Just trust me, okay?"

"Okay, we will wait. Felicity, you are not thinking of doing anything stupid, are you?"

"Stupid. No way, I don't do stupid. Just stay there for now."

Stupid. Yup, what she was about to do was far beyond the stupid category.

"Merlyn, you are on."

"Remind me again why I am helping you save these people. Our deal was to save Thea."

"Because if it weren't for me; you would be dead by now. Moira would have fed you to The League and let's not forget how you have been hiding so well for the past few months. That's all me so you know what I am capable of. If you don't help me, I swear to God, I will put your name in every Wanted List in this world and lead the League right to you."

"If I help you, I am as good as dead anyways."

"Then at least you will die cleaning some of the blood off your hands which Tommy died for too. I only helped you because your son's last words to me were to save you. Never forget that."

_One and a half years ago: Felicity could not believe that the son of her company's CEO; step-son to be precise; Oliver Queen was back after five years. Must have been hell of a trip for him. She understood that the entire QC would be rejoicing especially her amazing boss Walter but she had work to do. Taking a day off and celebrating a person's return; who she never knew was not on her agenda for the day so she settled down on her chair and resumed working. Computers, that's where she belonged; her haven._

"_Wow, look what the cat dragged in. Aren't these colors a bit too bold for office attire?"_

_She really couldn't catch a break, could she? She whirled around his her chair ready to give this lame ass a piece of her mind but all she was a big box of donuts being held by a man with deep brown eyes wearing the most idiotic grin on his face._

"_I am giving out donughts; free of cost. My best friend just came back from the dead you see. Apparently that also happens. Come on, try them. I swear they don't bite. My name is Tommy by the way, Tommy Merlyn and you are?"_

"_Felicity Smoak." She had a wide grin on her face too._

_And that's how Tommy Merlin and a mere IT girl became friends. Tommy was the usual flirty and charming self with her but he also valued their friendship. When Tommy had told her that he was in love with Laurel, she had been happy for him. When he felt insecure about himself and thought he was beneath everyone, Felicity cried with him. They were friends. Oliver never knew that because Tommy's visits to her became rarer as days passed; partly due to her nightly activities and they usually hung outside her work. Tommy was someone who wanted to show her off because he thought people won't believe he knew someone smart but Felicity was content in being with him whenever he needed her. When the Glades fell, Felicity was in the lair crying as the ceiling began to crumble. She had been at fault. She should have known there was another device or thought about it at least and as she cried and begged all of it to go away; she heard the police scanners talking about a male with brown hair rushing into the DA's office. And that's when she knew. By the time she got to Laurel's office the building had crumbled completely and Tommy was nowhere to be seen. So she just started digging through the rubble in desperation. The rescue workers tried to pull her off but she did everything to cling on and that's when she found him. She wanted to take him to the hospital but he held her there taking his hands in hers._

"_Hey, Smoak. Don't worry, Merlyns don't die so easy. I need you to do something for me though. Will you promise me?"_

"_Anything; Tommy." Felicity bit back the tears. She needed him to see her happy. She could not cry._

"_I know who Oliver really is. I know you help him. Can you make him believe that he is not a killer? That he is a hero and don't let him make my death be his guilt forever. Remind him every time what he is meant to me. Be his light, okay?"_

"_Tommy, you are not going to die. I won't let that happen."_

"_And about my father. Don't hate him too much, you can do that right? If he needs to be saved, then redeem him."_

"_I will, I will."_

"_Take care of the people I love for me, Lis. And no matter what, I will always love you. You are remarkable, Felicity Smoak."_

_And with that the last breath left Tommy Merlyn. Felicity cradled him in her arms and cried till her tears were dry. She lost her friend that day but even while dying Tommy Merlyn forgave and redeemed damned souls._

Felicity wiped a tear rolling down her cheek. She needed to be strong right now. She heard Merlyn's voice crack at the end of the comm. Even if Merlyn did some things which could never be forgiven, there was no denying the fact that he loved Tommy too.

"So, Blondie. What do I have to do?"

"I need you to distract them. I will take care of the one at the entrance. You take care of the rest. At my signal, okay?"

"Okay."

And with that Felicity did her most sexy walk possible combined with flipping her hair and licking her lips to get his attention. As she walked up to him, she could see his dilated pupils through the mask. She had his attention, all right. She walked up to him and placed her hand on his.

"Hey, there. I noticed you were standing here all alone. I am digging the mask but why don't you show me what you really look like, you handsome man."

Felicity reached up and started removing his mask but he wasn't about to be fooled easily. He caught hold of her wrist and brought her hand down by her side and to her surprise; he started removing the mask himself. Felicity did not waste a breath and plunged the taser at his exposed throat. Electricity coursed through him and he went limp. That should be enough for now. She really had to thank Detective Lance for the taser though. His paranoia of keeping her out of harms' way really did help her after all.

"Now, Merlyn."

"Nice going there, Blondie. Maybe this might not be that boring after all."

The next few minutes were total chaos. Merlyn started thrusting his arrows into the knuckleheads and Felicity started helping people out. She called up Thea and asked her to come out with Sin through the emergency exit away from all the fight and more importantly Merlyn's line of view. She did not want to lie to Thea; she will tell her the truth after she got her to safety. When Felicity spotted both the girls coming out, she embraced them too tight for her own good. She led them to the van but she had one more thing to do before driving away.

"I could really use some help right now, Blondie. These men are too strong."

"The power will go off in two. Make your escape then."

And with that Felicity plunged the station into darkness again and turned all her attention to Thea and Sin.

"Are you both hurt?"

"No, Felicity we are fine. I knew you could hack but you were amazing back there but I heard Arrows in there though I couldn't get a good look. Who was that?"

"I will tell you everything, I promise. First, let's get you both out of here."

But before she could even put in the keys, her phone buzzed. It was S.T.A.R Labs.

"Cisco, tell me you have good news. We could really use some right now."

"Felicity, I am watching the news. The entire city is being ravaged. Are you okay?"

"Ya, I am fine. Did you find a cure?"

"Okay, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

"Cisco, don't test my patience."

"Okay, wildcat. So the good news is, this Mirakuru or whatever you gave me has all the properties of a drug; chemotherupatic to be exact but the drug was exposed to very adverse conditions and that's how some of the components of it changed completely. We identified what it is but this can take longer than usual."

"Cisco, I don't hear any good news."

"Bear with me another minute. So drugs kill cancer by stopping their division and what this drug is doing is the complete opposite. It's causing the cells to divide so they heal faster and it's affecting the hypothalamus in the brain so they feel no pain and no guilt so they are becoming into killing machines and it's rather funny…."

"Cisco, English! I am going to ask you again, is there a cure?"

"There is but that's where it goes a bit complicated. This drug is evolving from one person to another, forming a new identity in everyone. We think that this is because whoever made this drug encoded their DNA in it so their blood will be like the kill switch to all its effects!"

"You want me to find the blood of a dead Japanese scientist from the God knows what era? That's what you are telling me to do here?"

"No but that's the way to end all of this permanently. We have come up with a temporary cure though. It will slow down the healing process and make them experience pain so if you cut one of the major arteries like the jagular vein they might die but it will be very hard to kill the first person infected with this. The longer this stays in a person's system, the more it becomes a part of them."

"Finally; we really need that cure. Someone from QC will be there to pick it up as soon as possible; keep it ready. And Cisco, thank you."

"Don't mention it. You take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will."

Felicity left a quick message to Oliver about the cure and giving a wide smile to Thea and Sin she started towards ARGUS. Maybe things weren't so bleak after all; the sun was going to come up after all.

"Felicity, where are we going? And what's happening? All this is Slade, isn't it?"

"I will tell you everything once we get somewhe…"

And she never completed the sentence. All she felt was the world turning upside down as the van rolled and was pinned to the footpath by a truck. When she finally opened her eyes, she was upside down with glass cutting into her skin, an unconscious Thea with a wide gash on her forehead next to her and Sin bleeding profusely from her middle. She frantically started pulling up the seat belt. She could feel blood draining into her hair with a cut on her head and the inverted position was making her nauseating. She picked up a piece of glass and started cutting through her seatbelt and that's when she heard the crunching of glass. Someone was there to help them and that's why she started screaming but it wasn't a face which looked back at her. It was a mask with murderous eyes that looked straight to her. And that's when all she saw were spots dancing in front of her eyes before she blacked out completely.

When she awoke with the worst headache ever, she was aware of someone dragging her out from the van by her ponytail. Slade, it was Slade; she had no doubts about it. She started thrashing and flailing her hands in the hair and Slade's grip on her became even more painful.

"There is no use fighting, Miss Smoak. Quite a clever one you are, aren't you? Bringing down my men on their knees; and to think all that was done by such a weak thing as you."

"You psychopath; let me go. I will make you regret this; I will make you wish that you were never born."

"Then let's see who can keep the promise better, shall we?"

He started dragging more menacingly now and Felicity was sure she was going to pass out because of the pain and loss of blood. She had to fight but she could feel her resolve breaking. His grip on her was like steel. She knew she couldn't escape so she did what she could do.

"Please, Slade. Let me save them and after that I will go with you. I won't fight; just let me save them."

Felicity knew that there was no getting through to him but she had to try. Slade didn't say anything but instead loosened the grip he had on her ponytail.

"You try anything stupid and I kill them right here."

And with those words ringing in her ears she got into the van and took her phone. Undamaged, Thank God. She couldn't call Oliver or Digg; Slade will know so she called the only person she could think of then.

"What now, Blondie?"

"Merlyn, we are at the intersection of 22nd Westford. Thea is hurt. Take her to her brother and fast."

"What are you talking about? How did she get hurt? What about you?"

"Merlyn, please."

Felicity knew that Merlyn must have heard the desperation in her voice because he just said an okay and hung up.

"Felicity, what happened?"

"Thea, oh Thank God you are okay."

Felicity placed her hand on Thea's cheeks and choked back her tears.

"Thea, look at me. Someone is coming to help you right now. You will let him help you, promise me that."

"What, Felicity? What are you talking about? Where are you going?"

Felicity could not hold back the tears anymore and she could that Thea was crying too.

"I am going somewhere I have to go but I will be back. I need you to be safe first. So don't cry and promise me you will stay safe."

"I promise but I don't understand what's going on. Why are you talking like this? Why are you saying a goodbye?"

"Thea, my little hero. I love you, I will always love you and I will always come for you. But if I can't, I need you to stay strong and always keep me in here, okay?"

Felicity touched Thea's heart and before she could even wipe the tears off Thea's cheeks she was dragged out by Slade. Felicity could see that Thea recognized Slade and when Slade dragged her to the truck Felicity could hear the wailing sobs and screams of Thea. And that's when her knees gave in and her whole world blacked out.

* * *

And I am back and I sure hope that it's with a bang. I thought I won't be updating for another two days or so but apparently when you have exams and you drool over books, writing a fanfiction is a sure way to wake you up. This chapter is a bit long because the story just seems to be flowing smoothly so I couldn't really make it shorter. Now things are looking even more bad but we have to remember that's we need the light when it's the darkest. So please do review and let me know what you think! And thanks for all the lovely reviews everyone. Much appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

**An Echo in the Dark**

Oliver was a changed man now. The heart which used to beat crazily for the brunette in front of him was now used to pounding in front of a certain blonde but that did not mean that the respect Oliver held for Laurel was any less but after the stunt she pulled off maybe he had to rethink his decision. He knew Laurel was there to save him but that did not mean she was forgiven for making such a stupid ass decision and risking everyone's neck including hers. Thankfully his bitch with Wi-Fi; yes he certainly heard that one over the communication links with a lopsided grin on his face; had saved the day. So as Oliver held Laurel's hands and started running towards the entrance to the underground tunnels with Slade's junkies on his tail and less than 3 minutes for the tunnels to collapse he couldn't help but feel elated. This was going to work and he was going to make it home to Thea and to her.

Unfortunately for him, the tunnels collapsed below one of the pillars so they had to take a detour and that's how Oliver found himself facing a dead end with Laurel by his side and Slade's army ready to pound on him. And that's when Oliver found himself taking out his bow and shooting at the ceiling of the tunnel, hoping that it does not cave in on them. And what do you know, it must have been one of Oliver's lucky days; which are rare to come by; because the ceiling collapsed on Slade's army and Laurel and he were trapped were trapped under debris which could easily be moved. Digg helped them out and Oliver was happy that his friend had sustained only mild injuries after all Isabel was lying peacefully in her death bed, hopefully.

"Digg, What about Felicity?" And that's when he heard Felicity's voice in his ear.

"Oliver, are you okay? Are you hurt? What about Laurel?"

"Felicity, oh thank goodness. We are fine. Where are you?"

"I am on route to get Thea from my house."

"Since when did you start following what I said so easily?"

"Oliver, please don't start. I can come back if you want."

"No. Just get to safety."

"Oliver, the streets of the City, it's being ravaged. It's bad."

"Get yourself to safety, stay with Thea. We will figure something out. And Felicity, I will come back. Just wait for me."

"I know Oliver. I know."

Laurel felt that she had been punched in the gut. Ollie, her Ollie, was telling his assistant that he will come for her. She always thought that Felicity was Oliver's IT girl and no more but now she could hear in Oliver's voice that he felt more than what he let on for Felicity. And she could feel that the suffering which Oliver had seen on the island and as Arrow, Felicity knew about it all. Oliver had never spoken to her so earnestly even when they were together and even under the hood Laurel could tell that he was smiling, a real smile without any mask put up. It was pure and genuine Oliver. Laurel had been wrong, she did not know the man in front of her; she knew only the ashes of the man he used to be. She can never have Oliver's heart again and right now, Laurel knew that she never had his heart to begin with. Oliver Queen's heart was beating for another and she could do nothing about it. Oliver finished his conversation with Felicity and said something to Diggle which she did not register. It was only when Ollie placed his hand on her shoulders and slightly shook her that she blinked and tried to concentrate on what he was saying.

"Laurel, I need you to go now. I am so thankful that you saved me back there but I can't have you with me here, it's too dangerous and I need you to be safe. Diggle will take you home."

Laurel saw Oliver turning towards Diggle and before she knew it, the words had slipped out from her mouth.

"You love her, don't you? You love Felicity?"

Oliver was sure that he couldn't move a muscle. He knew he had to ask this question to himself one day but with everything happening around him he wanted to take the time and sort his feelings out. He could not rush into this, he won't rush into it because Felicity deserved the best and he still had a few miles to cover before he found her.

"Laurel Lance, I don't know where your thoughts are running but I don't have time for this. Now go home. Have I made myself clear?"

"You didn't deny it, Ollie. And I am not going home, I am staying. Now let's go and kill some knuckleheads."

Oliver didn't have time to argue so he agreed and was soon pre-occupied with trying to kill people who didn't know how to stay dead. He did not know how much time passed and Digg and he were left more bruised and battered than ever. Oliver kept himself at a vantage point above the ground most of the time because Laurel would not leave his side and tried his best to aim at their throats. At least they will bleed to death, hopefully. But they were having no such luck. Oliver swore that he had thrust four of his Arrows to the same man and yet he kept torching the streets. They needed help and fast. He was about to retrieve his Arrow stuck in the eye of one Slade's minions when he received a text from Felicity. They found the cure. He could not believe his eyes; S.T.A.R Labs found a cure, all they had to do was get it to Starling City. Great, how was that going to happen? He wished he had Felicity by his side to tell him what he needed to do but he washed those thoughts out of his head.

"Ollie, look out."

Before he knew what was going on, Laurel had his bow at ready and had thrust an Arrow into the gut of the man. He should be dead by now, at least. Oliver looked dumbfounded at Laurel. She did save his life, twice.

"Laurel, what was that?"

"Archery classes back from when I was 12. I guess it does come in use."

"It does, it definitely does."

Oliver took Laurel in for a quick hug to let her know he was thankful and he whispered into her ear.

"Thank you, Laurel. I need you to know I will always care for you. I will always be there when you need me but as for my heart; it does not belong to you anymore. I am sorry but I need you to know that. And I need you to let me go."

He let her go and looked into her eyes. He had to make sure she understood and she did. Her eyes were cloudy by the tears she wasn't going to let fall. And with a drained sigh she nodded her head. She did understand. Oliver then filled in Digg about the cure.

"So, how are we doing this, Oliver?"

"Let's send the jet to Central City first. Till then we wait."

Digg and Oliver then cleaned out Slade's army from the precinct. Oliver had taken Laurel to her father and she was safe there. His Arrows and Digg's bullets were not making much of a difference now and that's how they found themselves at the private hanger waiting for the jet carrying the cure. They needed their strength before the last sprint. Oliver looked over at Digg but the man was asleep; he did need some shut eye so he decided to keep a watch. He wanted to see his sister and Felicity but he knew they were safe. Felicity had messaged him about the cure and said that she was almost at ARGUS. Yup, they had to be safe.

"Missed me?"

Oliver reacted when he heard the voice. He pointed the Arrow towards the source of the voice. Wait, he knew this voice. And that's when the masked figure walked out of the shadows. It was Sarah dressed in black leather looking every bit the lethal assassin she is.

"Sarah, I cannot believe it."

Oliver was so happy to see her that he embraced her before she could get a word out from her mouth.

"Ollie can't breathe."

"I am so sorry. I can't believe you are here. I thought you left for good."

"I left to being in her some reinforcements because I knew we needed all the help we can get."

On cue, Nyssa Al-Ghul walked out of the shadows followed by at least a dozen assassins; all of them covered in black with veiled faces.

"Nyssa is here to help. So might I ask what you are doing at the airport? I tracked your cell signal. I didn't expect that you will be here; of all places."

Oliver thought he heard doubt in Sarah's voice clearly fearing that he was going to leave the City and run away like a coward. Oliver decided not to ponder on that, he had bigger things to deal with.

"They sound a cure for Mirakuru. It's not absolute but it can make those knuckleheads bleed and feel pain. Felicity said in her message that if we aim at one of the major arteries they can bleed to death."

"What about Slade? If we don't kill him, he will just end up making a bigger army."

"Sarah, we will figure it out. Let's save this City first."

"Oliver, I just got a call from air control room. The jet is ready to land. It's better for you to change out of your hood."

"I will stay in the shadows, Digg. Go get the cure."

By the time the plane landed and came to the harbour, the sun was making its way up. It was going to be another day; one which brings in a dawn upon the City. Sarah, Oliver, Nyssa and her assassins stayed in the shadows; as Digg went to collect the box containing the cure. Finally this nightmare was going to end. Digg walked up to them with the box safely in his hands. All they had to do now was inject the cure into the knuckleheads and kill them. That was going to be easy.

"Going somewhere?"

Digg turned and Oliver got a good look at the owner of the voice. It was Blood looking stronger than ever with an army of at least thirty Mirakuru treated men behind him. They had already disposed the pilot and were ready for a war with them. Blood survived the collapse of the tunnels but how was that possible?

"Surprised; Oliver? To see me alive when you left me in there to die; well what shall I say? You see, Oliver, Slade was angry when he came to know that you had killed some of our best so he saved me and turned me so that I can take my vengeance."

"That's the Mirakuru which is talking, Blood. You are not a killer."

"We will see about that, won't we? Right when I kill you after you give me the cure."

And with that, all hell broke loose. Oliver knocked arrows into them but they came out even stronger and then he was occupied with Blood. Sarah, Digg, Nyssa and the assassins fought the rest as Oliver took on Blood. Blood was strong and Oliver was having a hard time keeping him in check and that's how he ended up at the mercy of Blood with a few broken ribs, a broken jaw and a not so pretty gash on his forehead. Oliver was on his knees with Blood pointing the gun at him when he looked around and saw that Digg was knocked out cold on the floor, Sarah was bruised and even Nyssa was having a hard time thrusting her arrows in them.

"Oliver Queen, the hero of Starling City dies a tragic death while all the people he loves suffer because of him."

"I will kill you, Blood. And then come for Slade if it's the last thing I do. I promise."

"You won't be able to if you are lying dead on the floor."

And with that Oliver closed his eyes to brace the impact of the bullet but it never came. When he opened his eyes, Blood was lying on the floor with a black arrow jutting out from his middle and his neck.

"I did not know that Starling's beloved Hero gives up so easily. I expected better, Oliver."

"Malcolm Merlyn, you are alive?"

"Ya sorry to rain on your party but here I am so give me your I-am-going-to-kill-you glare later. Right now, we have work to do and unless you want your friends to die in here I suggest you buckle up for the ride. Take these; the arrows can take in the cure in them like a syringe; ingenious design of mine. Thanks for the applaud everyone. So shall we, Queen?"

Oliver did not have time to register that the Dark Archer was alive. He will deal with him later. And with that, they began killing the soldiers one by one; all of them together as a team.

By the time the sun finally showed up in all its glory, Slade's army was lying at Oliver's feet bathed in their own blood. And this time, no one got back up. They had won battle, the war was yet to come but they would be ready.

Oliver dragged Digg to the hospital along with Sarah. Nyssa and her platoon said their goodbye and disappeared into the shadows, just like the way they had arrived. Oliver did not let Merlyn out of his site while he was being treated. They had a lot to talk about and Oliver was still giving him the death glare even though he had saved all of their lives. But before he dealt with Merlyn, he had to make sure that Thea and Felicity were okay. As Oliver was getting a bandage over his bruised ribs, Merlyn walked up to him.

"After you are done, follow me. I will wait outside. There is something you have to see, Oliver."

Oliver looked at his sister with needles stuck in her frail arm and he flipped. He took Merlyn by the collar and pinned him to the wall. He literally growled at him and talked.

"My sister was here all along and you did not tell me. What did you do to her?"

"I did not do anything to her; she is my daughter and in case it escaped your mind genius, we were too busy fighting painless zombies so yes; I am sorry it totally escaped my mind."

Oliver saw some of the doctors giving him a stink eye so he let go of Merlyn's collar.

"That's so much better. You think that a person will be thankful that I saved their life. Instead, he goes all tiger claws on me."

"Cut the crap, Merlyn. How did this happen?"

"I don't know. The Blondie called me up and said that Thea was hurt so I brought her and her friend to the hospital. She sounded pretty desperate. When I got there, she was gone and the vehicle was turned upside down. Thea was unconscious but thankfully she just has a gash on her forehead and a mild concussion. She will sleep it off."

"Wait, did you just say Blondie? Do you mean, Felicity?"

"Yes. Last I remembered that's her name and she is a blonde."

Oliver was sure he stopped breathing and his head was reeling with thoughts. If Felicity was the one who called Merlyn, then she knew he was alive. How could she do this to him? How could she not tell him that he was alive? Is that why she was not there when Merlyn came to take Thea? She was too ashamed to face him, is that why she ran like a coward? No, that can't be true. It wasn't true. His Felicity would never do that, she would never leave Thea but his Felicity would never lie to him too. How was this happening? It had to be a nightmare. Come on, Oliver, you have to snap out of it.

"Stop it, Ollie."

He turned and saw Thea looking back at him with a determined glare. He finally let out the breath he was holding and sighed seeing that she was safe.

"I know what you are thinking right now, Ollie. But don't do that to her. She does not deserve it. You snap out of this and get her back to me. Get my Felicity back; you hear me?"

"Thea, I don't know what you are talking about."

"She was taken by Slade, Ollie. She gave herself up to save Sin and me." And with that Thea let free of the tears she had been holding back and looked into her brother's eyes with her clouded ones. She could see that her brother was shocked but he still had doubts.

"I know what you are Ollie. I know you are the Arrow and Felicity works for you. I know that Slade is behind you because he blames you for the death of the girl he loved and I know that you are hurt thinking that Felicity lied to you about Merlyn but she did that to keep her promise to Tommy, her best friend, your friend and my brother."

"How do you know…"

"I will tell you how, Ollie." And Thea relayed everything to her brother till he had tears in his eyes and Thea swore that she saw them in Merlyn's eyes too.

_Yesterday: Thea could not believe that she slept the entire afternoon and when she woke up Felicity was on her way to do another job. She worked so hard and Thea felt a pang in her chest when she saw her leaving her apartment. Maybe Thea can find a job too to help her out. Yes, she would definitely ask Sin about it when she met her. Thea freshened up and went to the closet to change her clothes and to her surprise all her clothes were neatly arranged in stacks. Yup, that's Felicity alright, making sure that Thea had nothing to worry about. As she took out the t-shirt she loved to wear, a picture fell from a notebook kept below some of her t-shirts. She picked up the picture and she had never seen two people look so happy. The picture was taken in a sunny day in a park so there was green all around and beaming at the camera was a smiling Tommy with his arms around Felicity who looked beaming. She flipped the picture and handwritten saw the handwritten note. __"_To Felicity Smoak, the most beautiful person I have ever met. With love, Tommy Merlyn. Dated: 31st October, 2012**.**_"_

_Thea could not believe her eyes. Felicity was Tommy's friend, maybe she was the one that he kept talking about to Thea. Thea placed back the photo in the notebook and could not help but notice the handwritten paragraph in it._

10th October 2012: I met a stuck up guy today. He said his name was Tommy Merlyn. I thought he would be too snobby but he took me by surprise. I didn't realise I was smiling the whole time he was talking. Maybe we could be friends after all.

_And before Thea realized it, she was flipping through the pages._

24th October 2012: I met Oliver Queen and I babbled the like an idiot. He sure has an effect on people. He gave me a bullet ridden laptop and dropped the most ridiculous lie ever thinking I would believe it.

13th February 2013: Oliver Queen is the vigilante but hero in my eyes if you ask me. I can't believe it, actually I can. The signs were always there and now I am helping him find Walter. Will I be able to do the right thing?

15th May 2013: Tommy is dead. I killed him. I should have known that there was another device. I should have known…..

5th February 2014: Thea's father is Malcom Merlyn. I confronted Moira about this but I guess it's time I tell Oliver. I can't hide this from him.

26th February 2014: Malcom Merlyn is alive and he wants my help to disappear. I made a promise to Tommy but I can't do this. He deserves to be punished and I can't hide this from Oliver.

1st March 2014: I saw Merlyn crying. He was crying over Tommy and Thea. I guess he does love his children and he is living out a punishment staying away from them. He can be saved. I will tell Oliver when the time is right. Malcolm should be punished by his children. Thea should decide his punishment.

28th April 2014: Moira is dead and Thea is heartbroken. She hugged me and cried. Oliver needs to hope again and Thea needs someone she can lean on. I will be that person for both of them.

30th April 2014: I asked Thea to move in with me and she did. I could not believe it at first but she is right here next to me sleeping so it's time I believe it. I made her lunch and she was so happy. I think I can live seeing that smile every day. I will tell her the truth about her father after this war is over but will she forgive me when she comes to know I lied to her? Will she? Will she believe me when I will tell her that I love her?

_Thea hadn't realized she was crying until she saw the tear drops trailing on the pages. She realized then that she wasn't angry at Felicity but instead she was crying because this Felicity Smoak that she knew had given up her life to protect and guide her brother and now she was doing the same thing for her. Heck, she was the one who even stayed with Tommy when he needed her and that's when Thea decided that she had more than forgiven Felicity. They needed each other and after knowing the truth Thea will never leave her side because Felicity Smoak did not give up on her even when Thea was broken and even her brother gave up on her. Instead she became her hope and now her family and home._

Oliver was crying. He had doubted 'his girl', the one who had given up everything to stay by his side and now she had given up her life to save his sister. Oliver wiped his tears and then walked to the door of the ward. He knew that it was 12 hours since Slade took Felicity, but he would get her back, alive. She was his family and you don't give up on family.

"I will get her back, Speedy; for us."

And with that he left with Merlyn following on his heels.

* * *

Felicity came around and was shocked by the pain she was experiencing. Every inch of her body ached and when she tried moving she realized she was chained to the chair. There were iron cuffs tying her hands and chains binding her feet to a chair. She felt nauseous and all she wished for was the pain to go away.

"Miss. Smoak. I can help the pain to ease away."

"What is it that you want, Slade? If this is about your petty revenge against Oliver, then I am sorry to burst your bubble pal but I am just Oliver's EA and the Arrow's partner and no one else."

Felicity's breath became more laboured as she spoke the words. What the hell? Did she puncture her lungs or something?

"I know that you can feel the pain. In fact, you are right. You did puncture a lung and right now you are bleeding to death."

A strangled sob left Felicity's throat. She didn't want this but she knew there was no way out. She had to accept her fate but even if she was dying, she won't die in this ratty room. She will die among the people she loved and she would see this through.

"You psychopath; I won't die here. I will fight and make sure you die with me."

"Ah, so much fire. Maybe that's why Oliver keeps you close. You are more important to him than you give yourself credit for and don't worry, Miss Smoak, I won't let you die so easy. You are very important to me, you see. I have a very important task for you."

Felicity saw Slade walk out of the shadows with a syringe in his hand. Before she could even scream, he injected the fluid inside into her neck and after that all Felicity felt was fire and pain coursing through her body.

* * *

I know that all of you probably are screaming at me for giving such a breathtaking cliffhanger but good things comes to those who wait. *Gives an evil grin* Anyways, here you have it folks. Oliver's doubts and determination, Thea's love for Felicity and Felicity's fire which saved all of them. And let's all give it up for Merlyn! Please do read and review and as usual Thanks for all the amazing reviews and follows.


	7. Chapter 7

**Some things are worth fighting for**

Felicity could feel the Mirakuru burning in her bloodstream making the pain overwhelming. Her head felt as heavy as lead and white spots danced in front of her eyes. She closed her eyes and shut them tightly biting back on her tongue and when she could not handle the pain anymore, she collapsed. She passed in and out of consciousness several times and each time she could hear Slade's voice echoing in the background. When she finally came around, her body was numb with a dull throbbing in her head but the gash on her forehead was gone and she could breathe in without pain coursing her rib cage. As a matter of fact she felt strong but it was her thoughts which were clearer than ever. She did not feel rage or resentment; she did not feel powerful or conceited. She felt alive with her body mending its broken parts.

"Welcome back, Miss. Smoak, to the world of the living."

"You injected me with Mirakuru and you turned into a monster like the ones you have out there ravaging the city and tearing it down for your petty revenge against Oliver. I don't know why you brought me here but I do know one thing. You have forever tainted Shado's memories, Slade. She would never have wanted any of this."

By the time Felicity completed her statement, Slade looked wild. Felicity could not get another word out as he; adorned in his mask; approached her and placed the edge of his sword against her neck. Her breath hitched when she felt the sword cut at her throat. She had pushed the wrong buttons but she could not care less because her fate was sealed, she knew that better than anyone. There was no escaping this; there was no escape from Slade but if she had to die at the hands of a killer, she would go down fighting. So she continued speaking with the blade against her throat in a surprisingly calm and collected voice.

"Shado would never have wanted to be a witness of this madness. She died at the hands of a madman and that is what you are right now. You are no different from him and the people of this City will fight and retaliate. We will end this and put an end to you. I promise."

Felicity was ready for the cool steel of the blade to cut through her throat so she closed her eyes and waited. But to her surprise, the blow was never delivered instead the air stilled as the laugh of Slade Wilson pierced through. Felicity opened her eyes as Slade sheathed his sword and bend to his knees looking her straight in the eye.

"Courage is a virtue I treasure, Felicity. And you possess courage beyond limits. You speak of my death when you are chained and held captive; courage like no other. Shado died because the man in whom you place your trust in did not have the courage to save her and so this city pays for his mistake, you pay for his mistake. And as for Shado, she is at peace after this. She told it to me."

"We all know that Shado's death was not Oliver's fault. This city believes in him, he is a Hero. And I believe in him so you can torture me all you want, kill me if you have to but my faith in Oliver will never die. He will always remain a Hero, the Arrow. And Shado is dead, she can't tell you anything."

Felicity's eyes conveyed determination and challenge as she looked at Slade. Her faith in Oliver could never be broken. Slade stood up and started walking into the shadows from whence he had emerged. Felicity saw his form turned to face her as he reached at the edge of the darkness.

"You will always believe in the Arrow but once you die, Felicity, the man who would be left behind would live an empty life. Then this City, the one you so love, will fall brick by brick."

Felicity knew Oliver would come for her; he would not let her die. But there was one thing he was mistaken about. Felicity's was not the one whose death could break Oliver because his heart did not belong to her.

* * *

Oliver did not know where to start looking. It was more than twelve hours since Felicity was at the mercy of Slade and he knew that time was running out. Oliver did not let himself believe that Felicity was dead; he had to hold on to the hope that she was alive. He came back to the lair and found Diggle with a Mirakuru-free-Roy and filled them in on the situation when they both were ready to shoot Merlyn in his head.

"Oliver, we can't trust him; let alone work with him. We will get her back after we deal with him."

"I volunteer to save the Blondie. She saved Thea and me so I owe it to her and my son. Besides you are going to need all the help you can get."

"Diggle, Roy; we need him for now. Slade is still out there with her. We killed his men but there are a few more we need to kill. We will deal with Merlyn when all of this is over and she is back home, back to me."

"I will do this for Felicity, Oliver but if he tries anything, I swear to God, the bullet will not miss its target."

"Relax everyone. It was me who saved your beat up asses back there but do I hear a thank you? No; all I hear are more death threats."

"Shut up, Merlyn. And tell me everything from the beginning."

Merlyn narrated the entire story from the Starling Central Station to Felicity's phone call. Oliver squared his shoulder with pride when he heard what Felicity did at the station. He handed over her phone to Oliver. Merlyn knew about the delivery of the cure to the airport because of the texts Oliver had sent to Felicity. After Oliver listened to his story, he felt hopeless. He had thought that Felicity's phone could be on her making her easier to track or a clue could be obtained from Merlyn's story pointing out to her whereabouts but both the routes led to a dead end. He did not know where to start with his search; he wasn't even sure if Felicity was in Starling City or not. Slade could have taken her anywhere but before Oliver could convince himself of the worst possibilities he pulled himself together. Slade wanted to hurt Oliver and reduce him down to a man with no faith but Oliver believed in her and her strength. He knew that the girl who had stolen his heart will not go down without a fight. And that's how an hour later, Oliver found himself going through CCTV footage of the accident pulled up by Digg; with much difficulty; while Merlyn and Roy scanned Salde's face through facial recognition. Oliver ground his teeth when he looked at the footage and the way Slade dragged Felicity by her hair. Everything looked surreal as he saw the look in Felicity's eyes. She looked defeated. Slade was going to pay big time for this; Oliver would make sure for that. There was no license plate on the truck on which Slade got in with Felicity and Oliver growled as it was another dead end. Digg was the one who told him to contain his anger and to keep looking. So he skimmed through CCTV footage for hours for the glimpse of the truck. He lost track of time and that's when Digg told him to stop and get some rest.

"Digg, she is out there somewhere. I can't rest, at least not now."

"Oliver, you are of no use if you over-exhaust yourself. Eat and sleep for a few hours. I will wake you up when I find something. If you go on this way, you cannot save her. Besides you know that once she comes back, she might kill me for letting you run around like this."

Oliver could hear Felicity giving Digg a lecture on the importance of food and sleep and he smiled. That was the kind of person his Felicity was, caring and beautiful. Oliver knew that she lied to him about Merlyn because of her promise to Tommy and he forgave her but once he got her back, he would make sure that she would never have to hide anything from him. He would make sure that he would be there beside her, forever and always. Merlyn was sleeping on the chair and Roy on the training mat as Oliver went to lie down at the couch. He would get a shut eye for a few hours but when he did sleep he was plagued by nightmares; all of them worse than the first one with him loosing Felicity to Slade's blade every time; so Oliver gave up on sleep and resumed his work. Digg was asleep with his head resting on the table so Oliver took brought to lie Felicity's computer and choked back his tears as he remembered Felicity sitting on her chair everyday while she rambled on about the latest technology. Oliver pushed back the image from his head and transferred the files through which Digg was scanning and that's when he noticed a folder on her desktop. It was titled Oliver Queen. Oliver opened the folder and saw that it contained only one video file addressed to him so he fired it up and the image of Felicity stared back at him as she down on the couch in the lair after adjusting the camera. She looked glowing and happy with her hair radiating in the camera and then she started speaking looking into the camera.

"_Oliver Queen, I guess if you are seeing this that means I am not next to you right now; either I am dead or in a life-threatening situation; both of them are not good. But before you go all angry bear on everyone around you because I am not there, I need you to know that whatever happened to me is not your fault so don't hold it over your life and sink the memories you have of me into guilt. I want you to remember me as your girl not one whose death is on your head. I haven't always been perfect and I have lied to you about one thing. Malcom Merlyn is alive and I helped him hide his tracks from the League of Assassins because of a promise I made to Tommy. He wasn't just your best friend, he was mine too and before he died he made me promise that I would always be by your side. I guess I might be breaking that promise now but I want you to know that I never wanted to lie to you so I hope that you will forgive me one day. I always supported you and stood beside you to see you become the Hero you are today and if given another chance I will always choose you. Always remember that. And since this is goodbye, there is one more thing you need to know Oliver. I love you. I have loved you since God knows when and even though we couldn't be together; just know that I would have died knowing two things. I love you and I believe in you. Take care of Digg and Roy for me. Let Digg take care of you and guide Roy, don't give up on him."_

Oliver looked into her picture staring back at him and that's when he let loose of the tears he had been holding back. She loved him and he needed to tell her that he loved her too. There were no doubts and no reservations now because right then and there, he could not imagine one day without her let alone the rest of his life.

* * *

Felicity was getting tired of sitting in the chair and the links were cutting into her. She knew that she had the Mirakuru in her system but when she tried to break the chains she only ended up hurting herself. Maybe the effects of the drug had not kicked in yet because Felicity's head did not feel clouded with anger. It was as if the drug had healed her and made her sharper rather than into a beefed up zombie. She could still feel pain from where she was bleeding because of the chains and that's what kept her grounded to her surroundings. She did not know how many hours passed or days before Slade came in again.

"So, Felicity, are you feeling better?"

"Go to hell."

"Oh don't worry, girl. I will go there but not for now. My ticket to my death is right here with me so the ride to hell would have to be delayed."

"What do you mean?"

"It's interesting, this thing known as fate. It was my fate that I met Oliver and he took my Shado away from me. But what's even more interesting is that the man who killed the love of my life was the one who carried a cure to this drug, a very ineffective one. I destroyed the cure and then Oliver drove an arrow through my eye but I survived. When I came back to this world, things had changed. So I searched for the place that gave me this wonder which made me into this. You know what I found astonishing? This drug was made as a cure to cancer by a scientist known as John Fox. He worked on Mirakuru for years thinking that he was going to save lives but when he saw that the Japanese had other plans for the drug, he did a miraculous thing. He introduced his blood in the drug, encoded his DNA in it making it the kill switch to the effects of Mirakuru. Unfortunately, this scientist retaliated and was killed by the Japanese without them knowing how important his blood was so he kept his belongings with one of his colleagues. And as Fate would have it, when I came to Starling City a certain blonde caught my attention. A girl abandoned by her father with a mother having drinking problems and while she worked as the Executive Assistant of Oliver Queen; she became Oliver's partner, his salvation and his world. But what was more interesting was that this girl also had the ability to be my downfall."

Felicity was thoroughly confused when Slade shoved a photo at her face. She looked carefully at the photo and saw that it was her in the picture. She was wearing a blue dress with her blue eyes staring adoringly into the face of a man holding her in her arms while her brown hair was tied into two ponytails. She looked at the man who was holding her and the first thing that she noticed were the blue eyes staring back at her. It was her eyes. She could make no mistake. Felicity must have gasped too loudly because Slade turned the picture and she saw the writing on the back. "_To my lovely daughter Felicity; with all the love in the world, your father, John Fox._"

Felicity stared at the photo and then it dawned on her. If the scientist was her father, then it only meant one thing. Her blood was the cure to Slade's madness. This could all end with her.

"So you see Felicity, you are very important. You are the heartbeat of the man I have vowed to destroy and you can stop the heartbeat of the psychopath who is standing in front of you. And I guess I was right because the Mirakuru that I gave you only healed you but did not turn you into a monster like me but can you really not turn into a monster if you know enough pain?. So shall we go for round two of my experiment?"

Felicity had known pain the past 24 hours but when Slade broke her shoulder, her ribs and her jaw, she screamed till there was no breath left in her. She was again injected with the Mirakuru but this time her thoughts were reeling with a plan to end this once and for all.

* * *

And I am back. Sorry for the no update, I have been busy being an engineer. Apparently those things are important too. As for this chapter, this is a bit short but from now all hell is going to break loose in a grand way. Someone mentioned on my tumblr that I should probably take over the job for the writers of Arrow. Even though I am flattered, I believe in the writers to make this show have a beautiful soul and not shove too much of Lauriver down our throats. Who is excited for the finale, huh? Thanks again for all the reviews, the favorites and the follows. *Warning, spoilers ahead*

P.S: I know you all might be thinking that the plot line for Mirakuru's cure sounds familiar to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 but this story was thought out in my head before the release of this movie because I had just finished learning the chapter on DNA coding in medicines. Hence inspiration for this fic!


	8. Chapter 8

**Where do my Demons Hide?**

Felicity did not know how many times she was injected with Mirakuru, two or ten she did not have an idea. All she could feel was the pain that she felt each time Slade injured her, broke her bones and left her body to burn as the vile drug ran through her veins but she did not give up. She could feel the drug having an effect on her thoughts and her memories of the people who mattered. Felicity was having trouble differentiating between reality and hallucination as time passed on. But one thought remained as clear as day, she was the cure to all this madness and suffering and she needed to take the person behind all of this down before she went under. When Slade came out of the menacing shadows again, Felicity kept on a look a of rage hoping and praying that he believed she was long far gone and had turned into a monster like him.

"Felicity, can you feel it coursing through your vein? Can you feel the rage? You need to channel the anger against Oliver Queen. He betrayed you and left you for dead. He left you at my mercy after all that you had done for him. He broke your trust and the promise to protect you so you need to fight. You need to show him that you are not to be taken for granted."

Slade stared into Felicity's eyes so she gnarled the best she could as she mimicked his words and repeated that she needed to release her rage on Oliver. Felicity never received the best actor award for her background performances in school plays, dis she mention background? So you know the reason why the awards never came pouring in but her undercover stint with Oliver always had wondering that maybe she could pull it off even though Felicity's world consisted only of numbers and algorithms, not lies and deciet; she was the IT girl for goodness sake; she still went ahead to render herself as a mirakuru-induced-meat bag as Slade wanted. And to her utter surprise Slade fell for her act. He gave her one last glance and unlocked her iron cufflinks. He helped her stand up from the chair; Felicity tried her hardest not to flinch at his touch; and leaning her weight against him walked her out of her dungeon with unsteady steps.

* * *

Oliver Queen knew that the Felicity Smoak he loves is brave beyond his imagination, one who did not know how to give up but as the hours ticked by and Felicity was missing for more than eighteen hours, Oliver's gut twisted into a knot which could not be undone. He knew that Felicity will stay alive no matter the circumstances but he also knew that Slade Wilson was as fierce as his name Deathstroke who could even bring men like him down to his knees. Oliver was growing restless by the hour and when their frantic search through the CCTV's yeilded no clue he became furious. He had to come with another way but his thoughts were slowly slipping into despair. And that's how Oliver found himself staring into the void with Felicity's phone clutched into her hand.

"Oliver, we are going to get her back; man. No matter what."

"Digg, she might be hurt. What if we are too late? All of this is happening because of me. She is in danger because of me. What will I do if I never get to see her again?"

"You can't think like that, Oliver. Slade and some of his are still out there so the fight is not yet over. I will call Sarah. Right now, we need all the help we can get."

Oliver nodded his head shut his eyes. He had to get those thoughts out of his head; Felicity would never blame him for anything. It's time he stopped blaming himself too, for her sake. Oliver began the tedious search again when Felicity's phone buzzed. It was Detective Lance.

"Hello, Detective."

"I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done. Is Miss. Smoak around? When I had spoken to her last, she sounded tense. I just wanted to make sure that she is okay."

Oliver hesitated. He knew the news regarding Felicity was not going to go down well with Detective Lance but as Digg had suggested they needed all the help they could get.

"Felicity is with Slade. Slade has her."

Oliver could hear Lance suck in a breath and forget to let it out. After a few minutes, when he spoke his voice was a mixture of emotions ranging from concern to anger.

"How long has she been gone?"

"Near to eighteen hours now."

"Do you have any leads?"

"No, we are running facial recognition but without Felicity this has been going slow."

"I trusted you to take care of her. She was the only thing in that team which was pure and now she is out there at the mercy of a madman. And you did not even tell me that she has been missing for almost a day now. Meet me at our usual place in 30. I will try to gather whatever I can till then."

"Detective, you are not in the shape. I will come to you."

"Don't lecture me. That girl out there is like my daughter and I don't give up on family. Don't be late."

And with that he hung up the phone. Oliver knew that Lance would give his best to get her back like the rest of them. So he suited up and made his way to the rooftop. The sun was fading away into the night and as Oliver looked over the city, he saw the fires which were being put out and the people being rescued. The city was working towards a stronger future by healing itself. Oliver knew that she was out there somewhere and talked to the city under the hood telling her not to give up; hoping the wind carried his message. She was a part of peoples' life in an unimaginable way; Diggle's younger sister, Thea and Roy's mother bear, Lance's family, Merlyn's salvation and his everything; so he knew that without her a part of the people to whom she mattered would break never to be repaired again. Just hang in there, Felicity. I will come for you, just remember me.

Oliver heard Lance approaching and he composed his face.

"You have anything for me, Detective?"

"Did you bring her into your team just to be your bait? Does she mean nothing to you? You gave her up to Slade without a fight. She deserved better."

Oliver voice was now a low growl. He would not need a modulator to sound like Arrow.

"That is not what happened, Detective. And she is my partner so I will fight for her every time. So don't taint my love towards her with such words."

"Sorry if I crossed my boundaries but she is like my daughter. I would go to any lengths for her. I have begun the search on my end but this is what I could salvage from Blood's office. These are his appointments and other personal belongings. Look through them and see if it helps."

Detective Lance handed Oliver a dairy and a few files.

"Thank you, Detective. I will get her back."

Oliver shot an arrow across and was ready to jump when Lance's words made him come to a stop.

"You get her back to me, do you understand? I still owe her a dinner from last time. So tell her, when you find her, that I am waiting right here, that I am okay and that I love her. You tell her that for me, Queen."

Oliver whirled around when he heard his name but by that time Lance was gone. I guess there were some people which could never be fooled.

* * *

Felicity's plan was working extraordinarily well and that's what got her on edge. She had made it put of get captivity and was now seated in what she assumed was Slade's vantage point over the entire city. This was definitely better than the rat infested sewer he had her chained in. Felicity stood next to the window towering over Starling City and looked over the beautiful sunset when her thoughts were interrupted by a female, a voice she knew too well. Isabel Rochev. Felicity really should have run over her with her van after she was buried because in this city murderers were being blessed with too many freaking lives.

"Isabel Rochev, last I remembered you were buried in the grave I dug for you."

"All that sass. I guess there are some things the Mirakuru can't fix, can it?"

"At least I have a mouth of my own and I am not just someone's play doll."

Isabel moved dangerously close to Felicity invading her private space but Felicity held her ground. This bitch was not going to intimidate her anymore. Isabel held onto Felicity's jaw with a death grip.

"You listen to me, bitch. I know that you might be thinking that you are important right now but once Slade is through with you, I am going to drive a blade through you again and again till every bone in your body is broken, do you understand?"

"I would love to see you try."

"Ladies, play nice. We are all on the same team now. Let's learn to work together, shall we?"

Isabel let go of Felicity's jaw and stepped aside. Yup, that lady just topped her 'people-who-annoy-her-and-deserve-to-die' list.

"I was just telling her the rules around here were going to be tougher than her previous gang."

"Isabel, Felicity is one of us now. She has enough Mirakuru in her system to take down you and me in a fight."

"I don't see any of it, honestly."

Felicity was now getting nervous. She did have the Mirakuru in her system but now it's effects were wearing off. Her body had healed because of the drug but did not make her impermeable to pain. She felt human. The drug, no matter given in how many doses and how many times was not turning her into another Slade or Isabel. But if she needed to play the part of a Mirakuru juiced up moron she needed to be strong. She just hoped that the situation did not come down to her demonstration of strength. That's why Felicity asked her next question choosing her words carefully.

"When are we going to take down Queen?"

"Well, aren't you a eager one? How can you change loyalties so fast? That's surprising."

"Because, Isabel, he left me here to rot after all that I had done for him so all I can feel right now is the anger I felt when I waited for him to come but he didn't. The Oliver Queen I remember now is not a Hero."

"Good things come to those who wait, my little soldier. You need to have patience. Isabel, what news do we have of him?"

"All of them are still searching through camera feeds and it looks like that they are having a hard time. And Oliver met with that Detective, the one that bombed one of our soldiers."

And that's when everything suddenly became clear as day in Felicity's head. They were being watched the entire time. Slade must have tapped into their phones and communication links. That was the only explanation for him knowing all of their secrets.

* * *

Oliver got back to the lair only to be greeted by broken computers and broken cell phones. What the hell? Digg, Merlyn and Roy sat on the training mats looking through some camera feeds on a tab.

"Digg, what the hell is all of this?"

"Ask Merlyn!"

"Merlyn, what did you do?"

"I just saved this operation. Everything was hacked into and all of your phones were being tapped."

"How did you even know that?"

"In case it escaped your mind, Mr. Vigilante, I was the head of Merlyn Cooperation. I know some things about security. I should have seen it earlier but it was carefully done. Besides, that explains how Salde knew where Felicity and Thea are going to be, when and how the cure was going to come yada yada, you know how it goes. He is surely tapping into your communication frequency too. You guys should seriously consider about using a new one."

Oliver had been the one to kill Merlyn one and a half years ago and even though Oliver knew that him saving their lives did not change the fact that he was murderer, Oliver was beginning to feel that saving Felicity went beyond than paying back the debt. It looked to him as if he actually cared about Felicity. Oliver guessed that's what her superpower was. She could bring out the best even in the worst; eating away all the darkness and replacing it with her light. Oliver started searching through Blood's belongings. Nothing struck him as odd and that's when Digg showed him a scribble on a notepad. It was a address of a building in Starling's elite real estate. But what struck Oliver as odd was the sentence written below the address. '_Meeting with dad at 4_.' Blood did not have a father since he killed his own father.

"As long as I recall, Oliver, Blood killed his own father."

"I know, Digg. This building is mot far from QC. Let's go and check it out."

"I am coming too."

"No, Roy. I need you to stay here or go to Thea. I am sure she needs you right now. Besides there is no Mirakuru in your system anymore."

"I already met her and she literally chucked me out of her room asking me why wasn't I bringing Felicity back. So I am coming and I don't need your approval. Felicity has protected and cared for me like no one has and taught me how to fight for the people I love with or without the Mirakuru in my system so I am coming."

"Fine but you get out when I tell you to, do you understand?"

"Fine."

"Anyone else wants to join us?"

"I can't believe I am doing this right now. I am coming too, Queen."

"Merlyn, don't try anything funny."

"Funny is my middle name, boys."

And with that all four walked out with a mission.

* * *

So this chapter was just a look into all the lives Felicity has been a part of one way or another and why she is so important. So this has been low on action and a little up on the emotional side of things just to show that why is she worth fighting for. I especially loved the way Detective Lance expresses his love for her and asks Oliver to bring her back. It's what we can except from someone who loves her like her own family. And even Roy loves her the same way. Roy also needs someone in his life and since the time he has met Felicity the void has been filled. Next chapter will be all out entertaining I hope. =D


	9. Chapter 9

**Preserving the Glint In Her Eyes**

Oliver took in the perimeter of the building and scouted the windows. And that's when he saw her, her blonde ponytail could never be mistaken. They always reflected the sunshine off them making it look like sunrise. Oliver let out a sigh of relief and a small smile spread on his lips when he saw that Felicity was unharmed. In fact, she looked like she had not been touched at all. What a relief! But he had bigger problems then. Isabel was the one guarding Felicity while Slade seemed to be talking to her. Oliver was not counting on Isabel to be there. One of these days, that bitch seriously had to die. This was becoming ridiculous. Sarah was besides Oliver as they looked over the reinforcements in the building from the one opposite.

"Ollie, you get yourself over to Felicity. We will rake care of the rest."

"Ya, man. We will take care of the rest. Go get her. We will lure out Slade and Isabel."

"Digg, we need to come up with a plan. We can't go in blind..."

"If I may?"

"What do you want, Merlyn?"

"Down boy. Let's not bear our fangs here, shall we? I think that i might have a better plan."

Oliver did not have a clue why he was following the words of a mass murderer but right then he did not see any other way. So he went ahead with it. They had only two vials of the Mirakuru cure left and they had to make it count. But Slade's hideout was infested with 12 Mirakuru soldiers. Not a great odd. So Oliver did what Merlyn told him to. That's how he found himself dressed as Oliver Queen, former CEO of Queen Consolidated walking up to one of Slade's knuckleheads and confidently declaring himself. As soon as the message was relayed to Slade through the communication links, Oliver was escorted inside to Slade's makeshift office. He stepped inside and locked his eyes on Felicity. Her face and arms showed scar tissue and blood clots like she had been through an enormous form of torture but somehow survived. Seeing that, all Oliver saw was red. His vision was clouded by the anger he felt and only God knew how he refrained himself from choking Slade. Oliver looked into Felicity's eyes and tried to convey that he was going to get her out, that she was okay but she remained blank with no expression. She did not betray any emotion and that had Oliver more worried than ever.

"I am here, Slade. Let her go."

"I am afraid you are too late, kid. The Felicity that you knew and loved might be too far gone."

Slade stood up behind his desk and walked upto Oliver bearing a smug grin. And that's when the truth dawned on Oliver. Slade had injected Felicity with the Mirakuru. No, that cannot happen. That would explain her lack of when he was so close; she was so close. Oliver was not going to accept this fate for her. He would bring her back with his love. This was Felicity he was talking about, she could not even hurt a fly let alone turn into a monster. Oliver could not let Slade get the upper hand on him so he composed himself and replied to him in a calm voice, even surprising himself.

"She could never be gone. There is no force on this earth that can take her away from me. I know what you have done to her but i also know that she will come back to me. So let her go. It's time we end all of this."

"Oliver, I need you to know true despair. The pain I felt when I lost Shado. For one life, you need to take another. That's when everything ends. For my Shado, I have to take away yours."

Slade walked upto Felicity and Oliver started forwards but was held back by two of Slade's soldiers holding on to him. He made her stand up by her arm and twisted it until Oliver could hear the crunching of bones. Felicity's scream pierced through the air and Oliver fought even harder against his captives. Felicity collapsed on her knees with her arm at an awkward angle but to Oliver's surprise after a few minutes she got back up but this time her arm was no longer broken. There was a bruise along the length of the arm but other than that she looked fine. But it was her eyes that looked harrowing and hollow. She neither had an expression on her face nor a tear rolled down her cheek.

"So you see, kid, if she dies it's true that you will know pain. But when she is pain, you will die bit by bit. A fate that you deserve. Slowly, when I get enough Mirakuru in her she won't feel a thing and then I can kill her and you can see that right in front of your eyes."

"You son of a bitch. I will rip your head off."

"For whom, Oliver? For her? The girl who is no more than a flesh with no soul."

And that's when Oliver lost his control. He started throwing punches and kicks at his captives and that's when arrows came crashing through the windows. The first arrow which contained the Mirakuru cure struck Isabel followed by a string of Arrows impaling her one after another. Slade growled when he saw Isabel fall and that's when Sarah, Digg and Roy walked into the office. Slade's soldiers were on their heels but all of them were being slowed down by one injury or another. Oliver left his team to deal with them minus Isabel and he turned all his attention to Salde. But he saw the man dragging Felicity away with him so he picked up his bow and quiver and marched off behind them.

Felicity saw Oliver catching up to them crumpling his suit, a very expensive one might she add, on the way. She wanted to get out of here and take Oliver with her but more than anything she wanted to show him that she was still the girl he knew. But she had to keep a straight face on for Slade to believe that she was too far gone, that she did not care. That's how her plan was going to work. Slade led her in into what she would call an artillery room which could fund an entire army. He picked up his mask and swords from the corner of the room and right before her eyes he transformed into one of the most scary men she had ever laid her eyes on. Deathstroke, that was his name. Oliver came up at the entrance of the room with his bow ready with a dangerous glare in his eyes.

"Its all over, Slade."

"It's over when I say it's over."

Felicity knew this was her chance and she had to work fast. So when Oliver let go of his arrow from the bow, it did not pierce through Slade. Instead, it pierced through her shoulder when she stood in front of Slade protecting him from Oliver's arrow. She did not even flinch when the arrow cut through her shoulder, instead she took the Arrow out and kept it a encloses in her palm at her side. She could sew the look of betrayal on Oliver's face but more than that she could see the remorse he was feeling thinking that his girl was not human anymore. Just hold on, Oliver. It will all be over soon and then you will understand my actions.

"Did you see that, kid? She took an arrow for me and here you are still believing that she can be saved. You are wrong."

"She is still the woman I love."

Felicity's breath hitched when she heard Oliver declare that he loved her. How was this possible? She always thought that Slade was mistaken about her role as Oliver's love. The Oliver Queen she knows is the one who would never love her. But here he was saying those words like they were fact rather than fiction. But she did not have time to ponder on it just then.

"Is she? Should we try it out?"

Felicity then felt metal against her throat. It was Slade's blade. He held her in a death grip as he put the sword against her throat.

"You see, kid. Not even a flinch. She is not even giving you the whole its-not-your-fault lecture. It looks like she has given into this fate. A fate which you carved out for her the moment you kept her at arms' length and even if I die today, you will never have the one you loved. You will only lover her shadow."

The next few seconds were a blur to Felicity. Slade held her with the blade to her throat and while he spewed nonsense, Felicity took the arrow that was bathed in her blood and plunged it into his thigh. She whirled around and shouted towards Oliver to let his arrows loose as she got out of the way. And after Oliver had fired all the arrows in his quiver, Felicity approached Slade. The man did not stir and as his last breath left him he closed his eyes and disappeared into oblivion. Felicity stood up on shaky knees and was engulfed into an embrace by Oliver. And that's when the tears and the pain that she had been holding back came loose like a dam had been broken. She collapsed into his arms as she cried while Oliver ran soothing circles on her back and through her hair all the while whispering that she was okay. They were okay but she still had a hard time believing all of it. When her sobs were reduced to nothing but short breaths, she looked into Oliver's eyes. Be looked like he had just been through hell and back so Felicity placed her hand on his cheek noticing how he turned into her touch and started into one of her classic rambles.

"I am sorry, Oliver. I did not know what else to do. He injected me with the Mirakuru so many times that I lost count and when I came to know that I was the cure to all of this madness, that my blood can end this I had to do something. That's why I took the arrow to the shoulder. I had to get my blood in his system and that seemed like the only way to do it. I am so sorry. You had to kill him and make a choice again. I didn't know what was going to happen and I was so scared. I didn't know if I was going to see you again, see the people I loved again. Oh God, how is Thea? I so totally forgot to ask about her..."

Oliver placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder to let her know that she was okay and gave out a hearty laugh. If Felicity was rambling, it meant that she was still Felicity. The woman he loved and the one he would never let go of. Oliver still needed answers but just then having her there wrapped in his arms was an anchor to him, keeping him connected to the rest of the world. So he checked her shoulder again to make sure the Mirakuru had done it's job of healing her and picked her up in his arms. There was no other option. She tried to protest but he brought her even closer to his chest as he carried her out to the place where the rest were waiting for them. Digg, Sarah, Merlyn and Roy had done a spectacular job of keeping the Mirakuru soldiers tied up in iron chains. Oliver brought Felicity to the room and set her down on her feet. The first one to hug her was Roy who looked thrilled to have her back. That was a huge step for the kid because Oliver always thought his face was permanently creased with frown lines. What surprised Oliver more was Felicity placed a tiny kiss on Roy's forehead and called him a hero. Next up came Digg who literally crushed her in bear hug. Sarah was happy to see her too and so was Merlyn.

Felicity glanced through the whole platoon of men in chains and bonds. They could be saved.

"Oliver, I need you draw my blood and administer to these men. It will cure them."

So Felicity found herself relaying her tale of nightmare to her team, including Merlyn which was very weird for her. She surely needed to ask Digg to fill her in on what she had missed especially with the whole Merlyn scenario. When she was done, she could not help but give a small laugh at everyone's expressions. They all looked awestruck and dumbfounded.

"So you mean to say that your blood is the cure to all of this? And that's why Mirakuru just helps you heal and doesn't make you into a blood-thirsty human?"

"No, Merlyn. Repeated that part twice already."

"Wow, so Blondie was the one who saved the day in the end. Well done, lass. A job well done."

"Let's first get out of here, Oliver. And then called Detective Lance. He can take care of the rest."

"You are right, Digg. Let's cure these men and leave them for the police."

As Sarah took out a vial of her blood through the syringe and injected into Slade's men, Felicity could not help but notice the way Oliver held onto her hand the entire time. And when it was time to go, he once again swept her into his arms even after Felicity told him that she was capable of walking he simply grazed his lips over her hair and forehead as he told her to hold onto him as long as she could.

* * *

A relatively short chapter but I hope it entertains. I felt Slade's death was like a release from his pain especially since his downfall is the girl he considered to be equivalent to his Shado. There are a few more twists and turns ahead not to mention some great Olicity moments. Thanks for all the kind reviews everyone.


	10. Chapter 10

**You Came Into My Life like A Whirlwind**

Felicity could feel herself sinking deep below the sea and suddenly her muscles did not work anymore. She could have flap her arms or legs to get out of the water and slowly all the oxygen escaped her lungs and she sank to the bottom taking her last breath. She awoke with a start to find herself in unfamiliar surroundings. The room was brightly decorated and pictures adorned the walls but one familiar picture struck her hard. It was the picture Slade had shown her with her father smiling down at her. As Felicity touched the picture, she looked at the rest of the pictures. It was her mother wrapped around the arms of what she assumed to be her father, both of them looking too young and blissful. Felicity heard the cries of a baby and walked to the adjacent room. The entire room was brightly decorated with pink wallpapers, toys of various sizes were littered all over the floor as a man with bright blue eyes and mouldy brown hair tried his hardest to soothe a crying baby with them. Felicity could not see the baby's face but she didn't have to guess, it was her in the arms of her father. A father who died a hero, she was his daughter and as she looked at her father, she could not help but feel proud of him. She wanted to approach the baby and whisper to her that she was going to become a hero too someday when the scenario changed. The baby was now being held in the arms of Slade Wilson as he unsheathed his sword and thrust it into the man who was kneeling in front of him bathing the baby in her father's blood. Felicity tried to scream as her father's eyes reflected no light but no voice escaped her throat. She found herself screaming and thrashing trying to reach to her father but it was of no avail. She was frozen as she watched the baby cry while sitting in a pool of blood.

Felicity woke up from the nightmare and saw the bright lights of the foundry. It was hurting her eyes and she realized that she was running a fever. She could feel the warmth and the sweat stick to her skin as she was lying on the med bay table. She felt a tug at her hand and saw that Oliver was right next to her looking tensed and worried as he pried over her. Felicity tried to get up and realized that she was in her inners with her external clothing discarded on the floor, a blanket draping her and an IV in her arm. When she got herself upright with help from Oliver, her head began to spin and she could have passed out if Oliver would not have squeezed her hand and draped a his arm around her back to hold her steady.

"Oliver, where is Thea? What about Slade? And why am I here?"

"Thea is fine. Merlyn got to her on time and Slade is being held by Amanda until we find a more permanent solution. You did it, Felicity. You brought him down."

"But I saw you shooting your entire quiver at him. How did he survive?"

"Most of the arrows could not pass through the external shell of his suit. He has sustained injuries but not severe ones."

"Oh Thank God. I thought that he was dead, glad he isn't. Though he does deserve to rot for an eternity for what he has done but I don't want his blood on your hands. You always have a choice and you are a hero, not a killer."

"I know. When Slade had you, all I could tell myself was that it was my fault that you were in danger but I remembered your eyes, your face so vividly telling me that I had to fight so I did. And when I saw you alive, that was when I realized that I could never do all of this without you. You make me want to be a better person, Felicity and nothing can change that."

Oliver had been speaking to her the entire time while looking down and when Felicity placed a hand on his cheek urging him to look at her, her heart skipped a beat. His eyes were a storm of emotions but the most predominant one was an emotion she did not want to accept. Oliver was only her friend and her partner. But the last eighteen hours had changed their dynamics which was evident to both of them. Felicity was having a hard time forming sentences which actually meant something so she only managed a simple oh.

"You need to lie down. You temperature is still too high."

"I am okay. All I want right now is to see Thea. And some clothes will be nice too. These aren't my nicest pair of underwear."

This surely got a smile out of Oliver which was a welcome sight for Felicity. He got up and got her his sweatpants and hoodie. He turned around as she quickly slipped into them but she guessed that was just for formality since he had seen her in her underwear anyways. The hoodie was too big for her and it kept falling off her shoulder but right then, Felicity needed his smell to surround her. She needed his touch, his embrace and him entirely. She really needed to get those thoughts out of her mind. When she was done, she slightly cleared her throat to let Oliver know she was done. When he turned around and his eyes squarely scanned her entire length and there was passion in his eyes. Whatever was happening between them, it was not her imagination. A part of Oliver felt the same way as her so Felicity gave the fullest smile she could muster with her flushed cheeks and embraced Oliver.

"I need you to know that none of this was your fault, Oliver. You saved my life, you saved this city and I could not be more proud of you. Thank you, Oliver, for coming for me."

Felicity felt Oliver pull her in closer as he buried his head in her shoulders and whispered the word always which sent shivers down her spine. Oliver must have noticed it because he brought her in even more closer and they stayed holding each other till Digg emerged with food for her to savour. It had been a long time since had eaten but after two bites, Felicity rushed to the bathroom and puked everything out. Oliver held her hair while she retched all the bile from her stomach. Her ribs hurt so did her jaw. In fact, since the adrenaline was slowly wearing off, she could feel the pain she had endured. When she winced in pain, Oliver's hand instantaneously landed on her ribs running soothing circles across the sore region.

"I should have killed him. Look at what he has done to you!"

Felicity could feel Oliver's body tense and his muscles flexed as he tried to control the anger coursing through him. Felicity placed her hand on his arm and squeezed lightly letting him know that she was right next to him, she was okay. Oliver was battling his own demons just then so Felicity let him be. When he snapped out of it, he simply lifted Felicity up into his arms again and placed her on the couch.

"You need to sleep."

"I need to see Thea and make sure she is okay. I will sleep after."

"Felicity, you will only worry Thea if you show up looking like this. So sleep."

Felicity knew she needed sleep but she was afraid of her nightmare. She had a feeling they weren't going to let go of her any soon.

"Oliver, will you stay with me?"

She wasn't a needy or a clingy one but right then she didn't trust herself. Her body felt unsure and her thought were muddled, the only thing that had her grounded was Oliver so she wasn't surprised when he stripped himself off of his shoes and laid down beside her on the couch. She could feel Digg's glare on her and when she found his eyes, she let him know that she knew what she was doing. Digg quietly said his goodbye and left.

Felicity was between him and the backside of the couch and she was hyper aware of Oliver.

But her whole ordeal had a toll on her so she found herself slipping into sleep within a few minutes. When she got up several hours later, the first thing that she noticed was Oliver's arms wrapping her like a cocoon. His one hand was around her waist and the other on her back. Oliver had shed his shirt sometime when she was sleeping, Felicity could see all his scars, even the ones she didn't notice when he trained. She ran her hand over them, feeling the scar tissue and the pain they carried. Oliver's breath hitched so she stopped but after a few seconds he relaxed and brought her in even closer as if holding her was the only way he could make himself believe that he existed. Felicity snuggled in closer too even though her ribs protested but she held onto him and went back to sleeping.

When she got up again, she could not find Oliver around her so she started to panic. Her breath came in short gasps and she was sure she was going to pass out but then Oliver appeared in front of her calling her name out with worry etched over his face.

"Felicity, look at me. I am right here, I won't go anywhere."

Felicity grabbed his hands which were holding him steady and brought her breathing under control.

"I went over to your place to get you some clothes. There is somewhere we need to go."

Felicity did not have the strength to do think anything just then so she just grabbed the bag of clothes and went to the bathroom. After taking a long shower, she simply changed her clothes without looking at herself in the mirror. She knew that her bruises were more evident now and seeing them would just make her sick again. After she was done, she came out and smiled when she saw Oliver walk in circles outside the bathroom. He forced food down her throat; she could only eat a few bites grudgingly. After she was done, he took her towards the airport.

"You said we were going somewhere. You aren't planning to send me away from Starling, are you?"

"No, there is someone you need to meet before he is put away for a long time. And there is something I have to tell him."

Felicity knew who Oliver was talking about but she didn't protest. Slade played a big part in Oliver's life, whether it was as his mentor or as his enemy, Slade had helped Oliver become what he was today, to bring out the hero she always knew but he didn't see. They stopped in front of a plane of A.R.G.U.S prepping for take-off. When Felicity got out of the car, her knees gave in. Slade was standing to the side in restrains made of metal and was being directed into the cargo bay. She could not do this, that man made her sick. But before she could completely collapse, Oliver caught hold of her.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Felicity."

But she had to do it. For her sake, she had to stop being afraid. Otherwise her nightmares will never stop so she planted her feet firmly on the ground and started walking towards the cargo bay with Oliver by her side. Slade was locked in a bullet proof glass enclosure and when he saw them approaching, he gave them a smirk, his eyes never leaving that of Oliver.

"Well, well, kid. Look what the cat dragged in. And you brought her too, that's sweet. Did you miss me, Felicity?"

"Don't you dare say her name, you monster."

"You have changed kid. The one whom I taught was a killer but now you are too soft hearted."

"I choose a different path, Slade; one which does not lead to complete destruction. I would never deny the fact that you taught me to fight, you taught me how to be a killer and now because of you I am a hero. You made me into a hero and I am proud of what I have become."

Felicity had always dreamt of the day Oliver called himself a hero and right then, she was so proud. She took his hand in his and gently squeezed them letting him know how proud she was of him.

"I might have made you into a hero but I can see now what inspired you to be one. I thought that you always went for stronger women like the girl you held on to at the island but after meeting her, I now know what strong means. You are exactly like Shado, ever beautiful, expecting the good out of everyone, never seeing the bad. But it's a shame that you are making the same mistake as her, Oliver will abandon you in the end; like he abandoned Shado."

"Oliver didn't abandon Shado. He reacted and I am sure there isn't a day that goes by where Oliver doesn't regret that Shado is not here with us. So know this, Slade, each and every time you try to hurt Oliver, you will have to go through me."

"That sass is still not gone. You have found yourself a good one, kid. Consider yourself lucky and keep her close because the next time I find you, I will take her away. And that's when you will know true despair, kid. I promise you and I damn well keep my promises. And as for you Felicity Smoak, be safe because only I will have you and no one else."

Oliver's grip around Felicity's hand tightened when he heard Slade's threats. Felicity winced but Oliver held on till they were out of the cargo bay and away from Slade's glare. When they reached the car, Oliver told Digg to take them to the hospital to see Thea and when Felicity tried to take her hand away from Oliver's grip, he didn't let her. He held on and kept his gaze outside the window, the whole ride.

* * *

I am a bit late with this one but on a serious note, I was so happy that my story and the finale of Arrow brought Felicity to the forefront making us know how important she really is. She is a character which is so strongly written and acted that there is no denying the fact she has more than established herself as Arrow's leading lady, Olicity or no Olicity. Thanks for the great reviews everyone and even though it might look like the story is heading to it's end, let's just hope that it's a happy one.


	11. Chapter 11

**Let's Do It Right**

Felicity was steered by Oliver towards Thea's room but she stopped him before he could enter.

"What's wrong?"

"I need a moment, just a few seconds to gather my thoughts. She is going to hate me, isn't it? I lied to her about her father. I thought I could do this but now I am not too sure."

"Felicity, she is not going to hate you. She might be angry but she won't hate you. She has shown me why forgiveness is necessary and begged me to get you back. Trust me."

Felicity's doubts must have been on her face because Oliver pulled in for a hug. She rested her head on his chest and tried to calm herself down but another thought kept cropping up. She looked up and met Oliver's gaze, the eyes which were fixated on hers had neither anger nor resentment. They were forgiving.

"Wait, you forgave me? Why aren't you angry at me?"

"I was angry at you and I doubted you. I couldn't even believe for a second that you lied to me this entire time but then someone showed me that your lies were a promise to a man I considered my brother. She showed me that you will always be Felicity, beautiful, kind and gentle, the one who moulded me into the man I am today. I could never stay angry at you because you lied to keep your promise, to protect my sister and me."

Felicity laid her head on his chest again and simply thanked him. Oliver engulfed her in his arms and rested his head on hers and he grazed his lips on her hair. They could have stayed this way for a lifetime but Oliver's phone buzzed and he finally let go of her. He answered the call which was from Thea. After he talked on the phone for a second, he handed the phone over to Felicity saying that Thea wanted to speak to her.

Felicity's voice was raspy and she hoped Thea wouldn't hear the emotions whirling in them.

"Hey."

"Felicity, can you please do me a favour and get your ass to the hospital? I know you are too busy snogging my brother but think about me."

"I am almost there and I am not snogging your brother."

"Oh ya, let's see how long you hold it out. Now come and see me otherwise I will start cribbing and these doctors will eventually chuck me out of here all because of you."

Felicity could not help but laugh at the young Queen's antics. Maybe she should have been an actress, she would have been great. She handed the phone to Oliver and saw a smug expression on his face.

"Snogging, is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?"

"Oliver Queen, get that stupid grin off your face. It's bad enough your sister thinks that we are sleeping together."

"It might not be as bad as you think."

And with that Oliver winked at her and went inside leaving a flushed faced Felicity to follow him. Felicity embraced Thea first thing causing the scrawny teenager to scream in pain.

"Ouch, Felicity, my ribs. I broke some of them, you know. And if you missed me so much, next time do us all a favour and don't dissappear, okay?"

"Always the Thea I know. I am so sorry towards that I don't know how to say it. I didn't mean to.. "

Felicity did not get to complete her sentence because Thea was in her arms once again holding her closer than ever.

"Guess what? I really don't care, Felicity. You kept your promise to Tommy and that's all that matters. You were there for me and you cared for me and you didn't stop there. You gave yourself up to the monster to save my life so if you don't call that love, what else can you call it? So I forgive you and promise me you won't leave me."

"I promise."

Felicity looked into Thea's big brown eyes and saw her pain. She had lost everyone she cared for and many had lied to her but Thea stayed strong. Felicity loved her and from now she would be Thea's family, a real family where lies and deciet did not conquer. Oliver and her will make sure that Thea would be as beautiful and as strong as ever.

After a few hours, Oliver and Felicity left Thea in the care of Oliver and made it to the lair. They had a lot to talk about now so Felicity made the first move.

"Oliver, what is going on between us?"

Felicity could see that her question had struck a chord and she found herself pinned down by Oliver's gaze as he came down on his knees to face her and brought her closer to him by dragging her chair.

"You want to know what is going on between us? When I thought that I was never going to see you again, I couldn't breathe. All I wanted then was to hold onto you once again and I would have given anything to do that. I felt despair and grief. When I found you alive, I could breathe again. There was no pain and no fear. That's when I knew living without you was next to impossible. So I don't know in your dictionary what word can describe my condition, but in mine it's known as lovesickness."

Felicity could see that Oliver was enjoying her new state of dumbness where her brain felt numb. Did Oliver Queen just tell her that he loved her? She needed to hear him say it, again and again.

"Did you just say you loved me?"

"Why is it so hard for you to believe it? I love you. I know coming close to losing you has made me realize that I can't hide my feelings anymore and the fact is, I don't want to hide. I told you because of who I am I can't be with a person I could really care about but I became what I am today because of you, I know how to be a hero because of you and I know how to love because of you. It's been you all along and it will be you after this. I know that, I feel it everytime you touch me. So I won't be afraid to love you now. I won't push you away and even if you are in more danger than ever,I will protect you. Thanking you for loving a broken man like me."

"How did you know that..."

"That you love me. I saw your video and to tell you the truth, your face and your voice gave me the strength I needed to find you without loosing control."

Felicity usually had a thing or two to say about every situation she ever got herself into, most of which were embarrassing due to her broken brain to mouth filter but she couldn't think of anything to say to Oliver. So she resorted to the only four words she could muster while her voice was choked with emotions.

"I love you too."

When she looked into Oliver's eyes, all his barriers were gone. Felicity could see the man he had moulded himself into and his eyes only spoke of her. He placed his heavily calloused hands below her neck and pulled her in till their lips touched and then Felicity definitely forgot whatever she had running through her mind. Oliver's lips on hers were fireworks working slowly at first and then later increasing their pace. She melted into him as his hands started to rub wander down and landed on her waist.

Felicity was scooped up into his arms, her legs hooked on his middle as Oliver placed kisses along the nape of her neck. He placed her on the table and his kisses turned more frantic as Felicity lifted his shirt off his chest. She traced her hands over his scars and kissed along the lines of each scar. Oliver gave a low pitched growl as she bit along the scar tissue. Felicity's shirt was also lying on the floor after a few minutes as Oliver laid small and tender kisses along her stomach. She hummed as she felt a warmth in her belly. She wanted him, all of him but Oliver stopped suddenly. Felicity gave a cry of protest as Oliver moved away from her. He picked up her shirt and without even looking at her, he handed it back to her and told her to get dressed.

"Oliver, what's wrong? Don't you want this?"

Oliver turned towards Felicity now and she could see his eyes darken with pure desire seeing her in the half dressed state. But he held it back. Instead he laid the shirt on her and started buttoning it up.

"I want this but it can't happen this way. I have been with many women in my life but you are different. I need us to do things the right way. I haven't even taken you to dinner yet. We need to be with each other because we love each other, not because we need each other. I need you to understand this."

Oliver then looked up at her and Felicity just nodded. She had been so consumed by her need that she never saw how hard it was for Oliver to think that he would never see her again. But their relationship can't start based on circumstances which made them feel each other's worth. Their relationship needed to start on love and even if it took time she was ready for it. Do Felicity just smiled as Oliver put his hands around her waist and placed her down from the table. He held her firmly against him as his forehead touched hers and he smiled.

"So, Miss Smoak, would you like to have dinner with me?"

"It's a date."

"Yup, it is."

* * *

A relatively short chapter but this is something that needs to be out of the way. And even if Oliver does confess in the show because he realizes he can't live without her, loosing her and then getting her back, doesn't mean they can jump into a relationship. They need to build something which will stand the test of time and they can't do that if they only need each other. They have to love first, make some mistakes and learn how to love again. Thank you for the reviews and reads. Keep reviewing and tell me how I can improve. We are almost at the end so I feel pretty sad now.


End file.
